New Breast Cancer Foundation app puts power in Kiwi women’s hands

This October, your breast health is in your own hands – literally.

Pre Check, an innovative app from Breast Cancer Foundation NZ – launched to mark the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – will take women into a whole new world of breast health awareness. Visual, tactile and audio cues help you search for signs of breast cancer on screen. When you find one, you can learn more about it before being invited to look for other signs.

Once you’ve explored all the symptoms, a ‘how-to’ guide will teach you what to look for when self-checking. You’ll even have the option to set your own reminder for regular self-checks. This will send a push-notification to your phone, urging you to ‘touch, look and check’ and showing you how.

“Pre Check is a significant new wellbeing tool for women in New Zealand,” says Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s chief executive, Evangelia Henderson. “It’s an innovation that empowers women and gives them confidence to take control of their own breast health.”

The information has been available before but this is a new way of putting it in people’s hands, Mrs Henderson says.

“We encourage everyone from the age of 20 to ‘know your normal’. We urge women of breast-screening age to stay vigilant between mammograms, and younger women to be breast aware at all times. The beauty of Pre Check is that it puts vital information, quite literally, at people’s fingertips.

“Because it’s totally portable, you can check whenever and wherever it suits. It’s such a great way to be proactive with your breast health. And because it’s accessible to everyone, it transcends age, cultural background, income and education levels,” she says.

“Breast cancer is most treatable when it is found early, so early detection is your best protection. That’s why it’s vital to know the signs and ‘know your normal’ – and if you notice any changes, see your doctor immediately.

“If Pre Check encourages women to be more alert to breast changes and to see their doctors earlier, we believe it will save lives.”

Sarah Gandy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January this year at age 36, says the new app is a safe, credible source of information that will get people away from ‘Doctor Google’. “Having something that gives you the confidence to know you’re self-checking properly, and reminds you to do it regularly, is amazing,” Sarah says.

You can download Pre Check for free from the App store or Google Play, or go to www.breastcancerfoundation.org.nz/precheck

About Pre Check:

A sensory mobile interface leverages the power of touch, sight and sound to help women gain a better understanding of nine symptoms of breast cancer. Each symptom has been recreated using haptic feedback technology to add to the experience.

The educational tool allows users to feel around the screen in search of breast cancer signs. You’re then prompted to “get to know your own normal”. Through an easy-to-follow visual guide, women are taught how to do a self-check. Personalised monthly reminders ensure these self-checks become routine.