Qualitative Investigation of the Novel Use of Shopping Loyalty Card Data in Medical Decision Making

This paper describes early results of a small qualitative study investigating the potential impact of shopping loyalty card data (SLCD) in the diagnostic pathway for ovarian cancer. There is early evidence that pharmaceutical products such as pain relief and medications for irritable bowel syndrome and bloating are bought by women to manage the early symptoms of ovarian cancer. Designed to be a formative interview study, two General Practitioners (GPs) in England were recruited to discuss the current pathway of ovarian cancer from a primary care perspective and to consider the value and impact of SLCD in medical decision making, and its potential role in supporting improved referral times and patient outcomes. The findings indicate a potential role for SLCD, specifically in extending the diagnostic pathway to support earlier health information seeking and consultation with GPs. Communication with patients about this would need considering in regards to well established understanding about personal health behaviors and the wider system of primary and community care.