Possibilities of information technologies in early diagnosis and prevention of oncological diseases at the level of primary healthcare.

Relevance. The relevance of issues of improving the prevention, early detection and treatment of malignant neoplasms (hereinafter referred to as MN) is due to the continuing trend of widespread growth in the incidence and prevalence of oncological diseases, which is explained by a number of reasons – an increase in life expectancy, population aging, environmental, economic and other factors. The Voronezh region is one of the regions with a high incidence of MN and high mortality from this pathology. In the structure of causes of overall mortality, neoplasms occupy the second place (18.4 percent) after diseases of the circulatory system. Among the reasons for late diagnosis of MN are late patient referral due to insufficient literacy and low severity of symptoms in the early stages of the disease, insufficient oncological alertness of primary health care physicians, as well as the lack of reliable, accessible, informative screening programs. In this regard, the search for new technologies for early diagnosis and methods for detecting MN is an urgent task of practical healthcare. In connection with the above, the aim of this study was to develop a program for early diagnosis and screening of preclinical forms of malignant neoplasms based on modern information technologies and to evaluate its effectiveness at the primary health care level. Materials and methods. A comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of morbidity and mortality of the population of the Voronezh region from malignant neoplasms was carried out. To collect primary information on the morbidity and mortality of patients with oncological pathology, official statistical data of Rosstat, the Ministry of Health of Russia and materials of official state statistical reporting for the Voronezh region were used. An analysis of the data of accounting and reporting forms No. 7, No. 099/y, No. 025/y, No. 30 was carried out. The analysis of the causes of neglect and late diagnosis of malignant neoplasms was carried out on the basis of «neglect protocols» (form No. 027/y) for a five-year period (2019–2023). To collect primary information on the level of oncological alertness of primary health care workers, a survey was conducted using a specially developed questionnaire «Oncological alertness at an outpatient appointment». Statistical processing of the materials was carried out using calculation tables for enlarged age subgroups in Excel format. Results obtained. Analysis of the dynamics of cancer incidence showed unfavorable trends and an increase over the past 5 years amounted to 3.0%. The proportion of patients who died during the first year after diagnosis from those registered in the previous year has slightly decreased, but still remains high. The main reason for increased mortality from cancer is late diagnosis. In many ways, this is largely due to the imperfection of primary and secondary prevention, as well as untimely diagnosis and, as a result, insufficient effectiveness of treatment. Rationale. Taking into account the obtained results, a set of priority areas for the early detection of malignant neoplasms using automated information systems and technologies was substantiated. The set of proposed and implemented measures allowed to achieve a significant increase in the rate of detection of oncological pathology in the early stages and to balance the interaction of the primary level and individual structures of the oncological service in the region. Conclusions. The proposed methodology can be used for further work of specialists in the field of healthcare organization and specialists involved in the prevention and treatment of oncological diseases.