How Mammogram Reminders Can Be More Thoughtful Following Breast Cancer

Felicia Mitchell is a survivor of stage 2b HER2-positive breast cancer diagnosed in 2010. Catch up on all of Felicia's blogs here!

A message I recently received from my personal health portal rubbed me the wrong way. I do not know if it came from a robot with a name or a human with a robot-like personality, but I wrote back that I, a breast cancer survivor, was never delinquent in scheduling annual mammograms.

The message began, “Hi Felicia, Breast cancer screenings save lives! If you're due for a mammogram, you can schedule it quickly and easily right through MyChart. If you've already had your mammogram this year, please let us know or upload a copy to MyChart so we can keep your record up to date.”

It continued: “This message was sent as part of a routine outreach to help keep you on track with preventive care. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reply to this message — we’re here to help! Thank you for taking care of your health.”

“Thank you for taking care of your health” can be a good reminder. It can also sound passive-aggressive, as in, “You are not taking care of your health and need to try harder.” How much harder can I try? My annual mammogram is scheduled (the order transparent in MyChart). I received a mammogram (MyChart showing results) in December.

Feedback can educate bots and/or humans, so write back when inspired. I wrote, “You can see in [health provider] and MyChart that I had a mammogram. I am a cancer survivor and would not miss one. Please fix your system. Thanks!” The response was short but sweet: “This has been fixed.” Good!

If I were sending an automated message regarding the value of mammograms, though, this is what I would say: “Breast cancer screenings can save lives! We hope you have scheduled or completed your annual mammogram. This message is being shared as part of a routine outreach. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reply to this message — we’re here to help! Thank you for taking care of your health.”

Notice how I delete “to help keep you on track with preventive care.” Imagine somebody just diagnosed with breast cancer receiving the breezy message from a bot/human that does not know the recipient’s current situation. Plus, a mammogram can be preventive but can also be diagnostic, initiating an arduous cancer journey. Additionally, “save” and “can save” have two very different meanings. Mammograms do save lives, but not always.

Despite that clumsy message, MyChart is a handy resource. I also recommend following advice from Breastcancer.org: “Keep copies of all your test results. As you receive each new test result, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of saving your own copy. Develop a system that works for you for saving a complete set of all your test results and medical records in one place, whether that’s a digital folder or a file on a shelf. Having your own complete set of records can make managing your care easier, including getting second opinions and applying for a clinical trial.”

A personal medical portal, or patient portal, can be a useful tool. Remember, though, that you, the consumer, can always provide feedback if it needs some tweaking. What would you like a mammogram reminder to look like?

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.