American Cancer Society, Samsung launch breast cancer pilot to integrate care, info and support

Print 29 February 2016
Stacy Lawrence / Fierce Medical Devices

The American Cancer Society has partnered with Samsung and software startup Breezie to conduct a pilot program to offer breast cancer patients a single point of contact across their medical team, family and caregivers as well as to offer access to customized treatment and clinical trial information and an online support group.

Galaxy Tab S2 tablets with Breezie interface--Courtesy of Samsung

The program will run on a Samsung Galaxy Tab device, using a Breezie interface that's intended to drive patient engagement and adoption of tech. It will be based on the American Cancer Society's custom content on treatment options, online support group and its news about the latest clinical trials. The expectation is that this program could help improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients.

"With this My Journey Compass pilot program, patients will be instantly connected to personalized resources on their tablet selected specifically for them," said Chuck Westbrook, SVP of cancer control programs and services for the American Cancer Society. "In addition to hospital resources, American Cancer Society content including treatment options, information on managing the physical and emotional side effects of cancer and connections to local and online resources."

The system is designed to be secure enough for personal medical data, as well as easy for patients to use throughout the diagnosis and treatment process. The idea is to bridge the typically disparate islands of medical expertise and personal, patient experience--something that's not often accomplished successfully.

Use by the breast cancer patients of the Samsung tablet used in the pilot trial won't be confined to cancer-related activities; all Android apps will also be available to them via the Breezie interface. That could help to make it easier to integrate the tablet consistently into daily life.

Summed up Samsung CMO and head of healthcare and fitness Dr. David Rhew on his company's role, "Samsung is committed to leveraging its intuitive and leading technology to better connect patients and their providers and improve the care experience, which is especially important when facing a cancer diagnosis." 

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