This past March, ITS launched the Breast Screening Decisions (BSD) app in the Apple App Store, a mobile app designed to support women ages 40-49 in making informed decisions about mammogram screening. The app, which is the first ITS-developed app ever launched in the App Store, was designed by our department’s Applications Development and Web Communication teams. However, the app itself is the brainchild of Dr. Margaret M. Polaneczky, Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Dr. Elena Elkin, Associate Attending Outcomes Research Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
A blog post leads to something bigger
Dr. Margaret Polaneczky
The journey to the BSD app initially began as a blog post by Dr. Polaneczky about new mammogram guidelines released by the US Preventive Services Task Force in 2009. The guidelines recommended against routine screenings for all women under the age of 50, instead urging women to make individual choices about when to start and how often to have screening mammograms.
“There was a lot of hype in the press recommending against mammography and confusion [about the guidelines],” said Dr. Polaneczky. She clarified the Task Force’s statement in a blog post that was widely recognized by various major news outlets. (The Washington Post called it the “clearest assessment of the controversy you’re likely to find.”)
As a result, Dr. Polaneczky began working on a website that would provide more helpful content to women seeking information about mammograms. She began collaborating with Dr. Alvin Mushlin, WCM Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research, and Dr. Elkin on creating the first iteration of BSD, which was initially only available in a browser. With a two-year $100,000 grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), they conducted and published a pilot study of BSD in both primary care and OB-GYN practices at WCM, which showed that BSD was well-accepted by patients and clinicians alike, and supported informed decisions around mammogram screening.
The initial browser-based research version of BSD was developed by the Online Research Tools Core Facility at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The public version of the site was launched by ITS in 2015, and in January 2018, the Applications Development team launched the BSD mobile app, built on Apple’s Research Kit Platform.
How the app works
BSD allows a woman to anonymously complete a short questionnaire about family history, current health, and other factors prior to an appointment with her physician. The app then provides a personalized assessment of her breast cancer risk, information about the benefits and harms of screening mammograms, and an opportunity to clarify her own values and concerns about breast cancer and screening. The app also offers education around various breast cancer topics, like breast density, risk factors, genetic screening, and more. A woman can save a PDF summary of the information to share with her clinician.
“BSD supports a shared decision between a woman and her doctor around mammogram screening,” said Dr. Polaneczky.
Since its launch in 2014, the BSD website has generated about 300-500 visitors a month; in its first month, the BSD app processed over 130 assessments.
Future of the BSD app
Breast Screening Decisions has already garnered the attention of other major healthcare institutions, such as Kaiser Permanente and the Cleveland Clinic, who are looking to use this type of technology with their own patients.
Drs. Polaneczky and Elkin still have big plans to improve the app pending additional funding, including Spanish-language and low-literacy versions to make the app more accessible, as well as incorporating more information about breast density.
Need an app developed?
The Applications Development team works with WCM departments to bring their app ideas to life. Currently, the team is working with Pediatrics on a guide app that will assist third-year medical students with their rounds.
Contact dev@med.cornell.edu to request information on how the team can help you.
Download the app
The app is available for iPhone devices at no cost in the App Store.