Pre Check app

Pre Check app

  • A New Zealand app for women wanting to do breast self-checks to look for skin changes or lumps.
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Pre Check By Breast Cancer Foundation NZ
Features
  • Interactive screen.
  • Education and information about breast cancer changes through the app and also via a newsletter email.
  • Reminders options for fortnightly, monthly or 3-monthly.

 

Country of origin

New Zealand

Clinical review 

1 star review

 

Read a clinical review, including safety concerns, below.

Security and privacy Does the app:
  • Collect medical information? No
  • Require a login? No
  • Have password protection? No
  • Have a privacy policy? Yes
  • Require internet access? No

Read more about safety and security when using apps.

Brochures:
Tips to improve your privacy and security [PDF, 65 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ
Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ

Cost Free
Advertisement This app contains no ads.
How to get the app

The Pre Check app is an interactive breast model that shows some of the breast changes associated with breast cancer. The home screen resembles a breast and by touching the interactive screen, users can learn the 9 signs of breast cancer (eg, puckering, skin like orange peel, lumps, etc). The 'ready to self-check' screen is a guide on how to check your breasts, with detailed instructions on how to do the touch, look and check method. Users have the option of setting a self-check reminder which will send a push-notification to your phone.

For the complete app description, go to the app website(external link), App Store(external link), or for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

PROS CONS 

✔ Interactive breast model with 9 abnormal findings. The phone vibrates when you touch an abnormal area.

✔ Information available regarding common signs of breast cancer.

✘  The app doesn’t help women make an informed choice about whether to self-screen/self-examine, with no education about the risks and the evidence arguing against the practice.

✘ The guidelines have shifted to “breast-awareness” over regular breast examination. There's no mention of breast-awareness and the differences in these approaches. Breast-awareness basically signifies being sensibly alert to what is normal for you and know what changes to look for.

✘ There are several omissions in the breast self-examination instructions:

  • No instruction is given about how to examine systematically (normally in a circular or linear fashion). Instead it just says “circular motions”.
  • There is no axillary tail in the breast model in the app (sometimes breast tissue extends into the armpit. This is called the axillary tail of the breast).
  • No instruction on hand movements with palpation (normally finger pads of 3 middle fingers).
  • No instruction on how exactly to inspect visually first. It just says “look”.
  • No instruction on feeling for lymph nodes.

Clinical review

1 star review



Reviewer
: Dr Phoebe Hunt, Medical Officer working in Sexual and Reproductive Health, for Te Whatu Ora Te Tai Tokerau and Magma Healthcare
Date of review: September 2023
Platform: Apple
Version: 1.3.2
Comments: Pre Check app is an interactive way to learn about the symptoms and signs of breast cancer, which also offers reminders for when to complete regular self-breast-checks. However, the app does not take current guidelines from the National Screening Unit or NZ Breast Cancer Foundation or Cancer Society of NZ into account. There is no evidence that regular self-breast examination reduces deaths from breast cancer - which calls the usefulness of this app into question. Age-appropriate mammograms (45-69 years) are the only breast-cancer screening test that have been proven to reduce breast cancer deaths, so I do not think the use of this app should be promoted.
Safety concerns: None.
New Zealand relevance: Yes.


Clinical review

No rating provided

Reviewer: Jeremy Steinberg, GP, FRNZCGP
Date of review: October 2019
Comments: This app is most useful for women in their 40s and older, to learn about some of the breast changes associated with breast cancer. This app recommends a rigorous monthly self-examination with monthly email reminders. This goes counter to the evidence and guidelines which now promote breast-awareness. The app doesn’t allow women to make an informed choice about whether to self-examine. There are associated harms with self-screening and there is no education provided about this controversial topic. Many studies have shown self-examination leads to more breast biopsies without any benefit (including no benefit following intensive instruction). There is a greater chance of having a benign breast biopsy and associated anxiety.
Safety concerns: Breast self-examination can lead to a higher rate of benign breast biopsies.
New Zealand relevance: Highly relevant – this is a New Zealand app.

 

Brochures

Information on breast awareness(external link) National Screening Unit, NZ, 2013
Breast awareness – what you need to know(external link) Breast Cancer Foundation, NZ, 2019
Risk factors for breast cancer(external link) Breast Cancer Foundation, NZ
Risk reduction and healthy lifestyle choices(external link) Breast Cancer Foundation, NZ

References

  1. Kösters JP, Gøtzsche PC. Regular self-examination or clinical examination for early detection of breast cancer.(external link) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 2.
  2. Thornton H. “Breast awareness” and “breast self-examination” are not the same. What do these terms mean? Why are they confused? What can we do?(external link) Eur J Cancer. 2008 Oct;44(15):2118-21.

Disclaimer: The NZ Health App Library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly.

Factsheets – using health apps safely

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Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ

Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.