Cork University Hospital launches app explaining breast cancer in plain English

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has launched an app, FYI: Breast Cancer, to help women who are overwhelmed by medical information about cancer.

One third of women attending breast cancer clinics in Ireland have limited knowledge of breast cancer and 83% of women actually overestimate their risk of developing breast cancer.

The app answers the top 50 most searched for questions about breast cancer on the internet in straightforward, plain English.

It explains what breast cancer is, the different types of breast cancer, what a breast cancer diagnosis means and what treatments are available.

“As much as 90% of medical information on the internet is inaccurate or difficult to read,” says Consultant Breast Surgeon Mark Corrigan.

“To counter this, and to clearly explain the facts about breast cancer and dispel the myths, we have developed the FYI: Breast Cancer app. It has been made in a very user friendly format, and answers the most commonly asked questions.

“More and more, we see that patients attending a breast cancer clinic are using the internet for information.

“With 90% of patients using a mobile phone on a daily basis, we decided that an app would be the best way to communicate correct, easy to read information.

“We hope that the FYI: Breast Cancer app will make a major difference to the hundreds of women attending breast cancer clinics who find themselves overwhelmed by the medical information they are given.”

Professor Michael Molloy, Chairman of the CUH Charity, which funded the development of the app, said they “are thrilled to have been able to fund this hugely important app”.

“It is very much thanks to our very generous supporters that we have been able to create this,” he says.

It is hoped that the success of the app will pave the way for similar apps in other fields, such as prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and diabetes.

“We are now looking at raising funds to create other similar informative apps, having seen first-hand the difference this app is making.”

The FYI: Breast Cancer app is available to download on both Android and iPhone.

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