Health Literacy

MSD invests in health literacy with klarekijkopkanker.be

July 12, 2022

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Health literacy, or a better understanding of their illness, is invaluable to the quality of life of cancer patients. Freya Rowaert knows this all very well too. She is 44 and has been living with cancer for 20 years. And she has been working for MSD for just as long. We are proud that, together with Freya, we were able to launch the brand-new information platform Clear view on Cancer. This is how we contribute to a world; with a better understanding of cancer for those who must live with it.

Inform, inspire and support

With Clear view on Cancer, we want to inform, inspire, and support cancer patients and their loved ones, by providing clear information about the disease and how to deal with it. By giving the right information and making cancer a subject of discussion, we want to increase patients’ knowledge of their illness. In this way they learn to better understand their disease and can better communicate with their caregivers and their environment.

On Klare kijk op Kanker, Freya Rowaert herself is the guide for cancer patients and their environment. She has been dreaming for a while of offering patients and their families, some clear information: “With Clear view on Cancer I want to give others what I often missed myself: clear, accessible information, from patient to patient.” She also wants to offer moral support and to relieve stress and uncertainty. First and foremost, by sharing her own experiences: “By sharing what I have learned along the way, I hope to inspire others on how to deal with their diagnosis and their illness. Knowing where you stand, can save you a lot of uncertainty and stress.”

Vocabulary and videos

The content on Clear view on Cancer is twofold. Visitors find a concise glossary of cancer jargon, which is clearly and briefly explained. In addition, Freya and various ambassadors share their knowledge and experiences with visitors via short theme videos.

Recently, science watcher and former cancer researcher Hetty Helsmoortel strengthened the Freya team. Together they worked out a dozen new videos, including how does cancer arise, what causes cancer, is cancer hereditary, and what is a biopsy?

And the platform is constantly being supplemented with new vocabulary and more stories from different ambassadors: other patients with their own stories, as well as scientists, people from the field and doctors. In this way, Clear View on Cancer will continue to grow and create more and more clarity in the complex world in which cancer patients suddenly find themselves after their diagnosis.

View the platform at www.klarekijkopkanker.be