Bowel Cancer UK, has partnered with a text message micro-learning platform called GoodCourse, to develop a mobile phone text based support programme for patients.
Focused on people who have recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer, it’s believed the platform would be the first text message support service of its kind developed specifically to help the ‘nearly 43,000 people who are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in the UK’.
The service was developed in under eight weeks and the charity worked closely with bowel cancer patients throughout the process to ensure it provided support that was both effective and helpful.
If patients sign up they will receive a text each day for five days, which will provide support, advice and videos on a wide range of topics such as coping with a diagnosis, through to how to talk to people, relaxation techniques and information about sleep and fatigue.
The service is free to sign up to and users can enrol by simply scanning a QR code on the Bowel Cancer UK website, with patients then able to receive support wherever and whenever they need it via their mobile phones.
Catherine Winsor, Director of Services at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “As a charity we are committed to being there for bowel cancer patients at every step. We know being diagnosed with bowel cancer can be an emotional experience and the programme aims to help reduce anxiety about your diagnosis. We’re excited to partner with GoodCourse and hope the service offers much needed support to those who have recently been diagnosed.”
Chris Mansfield, GoodCourse CEO, added: “Accessibility and ‘ease of use’ when it comes to support couldn’t be more important, particularly when someone is going through one of their toughest challenges.
“Bowel Cancer UK’s materials and expert support options are already phenomenal, and I’m so pleased to see our technology used to help deliver their services to people in need. Now high impact support can be accessed by simply scanning a QR code.”
