Background and relevance
Annualy, 14500 Dutch women get diagnosed with breast cancer. When getting diagnosed, there are several treatment options. It gets more common that this decision is made by the patient and physician together. But breast cancer is something you endure together, and the naaste is also important in the breast cancer period.

Process
The project is divided into a research part, and a design part. The research part deals with an exploration of the context of the situation, resulting in insights which are the base for the design brief.
In the design part, two concept directions are generated, which are combined in one final concept. This final concept is evaluated and adjusted based on the evaluation

Insights
The period after receiving the diagnosis is not a natural situation, this is cause by:
• Patients and naasten experiencing different emotions. They deal with those in their own way.
• The patient does not want to burden the naasten, while the naaste is willing to give support.
• When the patient and naaste aren’t open towards each other about these aspects, there will be a lack of open communication and a struggle in supporting each other.

Therefore, design goal will be:
Support patients and naaste, so they can safely and openly deal with their dilemmas, and being aware of how to involve each other in the period after the diagnosis.

Redesign
The redesign is based on the current hand-out and decision aid. This hand-out is introduced to the patient and naaste during the diagnosis consultation.

On the front side of the hand-out (see figure 0.1), the “Borstkanker heb je niet alleen” part is added to make patient and naaste aware that it is important to involve a naaste.

The back side of the hand-out (see figure 0.2) contains experiences of other patients and naaste, which will help them in opening up about their dilemmas.
The back side of the hand-out also contains three questions supported with experiences, that cover the topics in which most of the time support is wished for.
Lastly, the back side of the hand-out contains references to a naasten tab page in the decision aid, containing extra information.

Evaluation
Patients and naaste indicated that this hand-out could have improved their interaction and experience during the period after the diagnosis.

Recommendations
• When further developping the naaste tab page in the DA, it is important to focus on the balance between presenting the experiences of patients and naaste and presenting more tips.

• When further developping the hand-out, it is important to see how the hand-out is presented to the patient and naaste by the physician, and its effect on the use of the hand-out.

• Conducting extra interviews and concept evaluation tests with a larger group of patients and naaste who still are in the period after the diagnosis. The concept also should be tested over a longer period of time.