Cancer patient navigation made beautifully simple.
The Dandelion Toolkit® makes a cancer diagnosis easier to understand with beautiful visuals that communicate clearly and coordinate discussions across the healthcare team to improve shared decision making and patient confidence in their care.
Understanding Stages of Cancer
Developed with over 180 patients, oncologists, nurses, medical experts, and tested across 25 clinics, the Dandelion Toolkit® makes a cancer diagnosis easier to understand using the visual metaphor of a dandelion to explain staging, pathology, subtype, and treatment options.
What patients, nurse navigators, and educators have to say about this cancer patient navigation tool:
”I just wish I had this when I was newly diagnosed back in 1998, it wouldn't have been so scary! Knowing how many women and men who will be newly diagnosed that the Dandelion Toolkit will help out gives me a great feeling.”
Theresa Meyer, Breast Cancer Thrivor
“When an analogy can be used to explain breast diagnosis and treatment, it is usually much easier for a patient to understand. The Dandelion Toolkit is a well-thought-out patient education tool that I know will be valued by future patients diagnosed with breast cancer.”
— Lillie Shockney, Lillie D Shockney, RN., BS., MAS
University Distinguished Associate Professor of Breast Cancer and Administrative Director, the Johns Hopkins Breast Center
“As we move to a more patient-centered course of healthcare delivery, it is crucial that educational materials are not only flexible enough to meet the needs of the patients, but are derived from the patient perspective. The Dandelion Toolkit merges creativity, health literacy and best clinical practice to empower patients with metastatic breast cancer. I am excited to see its use in patient education.”
—Jeff Yancey, PhD, MCHES, Associate Director of Education, Huntsman Cancer Institute
”I just wish I had this when I was newly diagnosed back in 1998, it wouldn't have been so scary! Knowing how many women and men who will be newly diagnosed that the Dandelion Toolkit will help out gives me a great feeling.”
Theresa Meyer, Breast Cancer Thrivor
How to use the Dandelion Toolkit for cancer patient navigation:
Conversation Card
The conversation card covers the diagnosis basics: staging, location, subtype, treatment options, and quality of life, all on a single sheet of folded paper.
The healthcare provider just needs to annotate and mark off checkboxes during the discussion, as a summary of the diagnosis conversation. The patient takes the conversation card home with the Dandelion Notebook and Toolkit box.
Navigation Notebook
The patient navigation notebook expands on the information in the conversation card. The patient and/or caregiver then uses the information from the card to fill in the Dandelion Notebook.
When a patient discovers a blank space, it makes it easy to know what to discuss next with the healthcare team to address any knowledge gaps.
Address knowledge gaps together
After the patient fills in the Dandelion Notebook, using the notes written on the Conversation Card, the patient brings the Dandelion Notebook to the next appointment. Together with a member of the healthcare team, the information is reviewed together and blank spots are filled in to address any questions and topics that haven’t been yet discussed.
Coming soon: Patient Diagnosis Video
Coming soon: After the initial patient discussion, create a customized patient video with dandelion animations that summarizes the stage, subtype, and treatment options specific to the patient. The video takes only three minutes to create and share with the patient. Those with a subscription to the video service will have their center’s logo and a custom video message from the healthcare team embedded with their patient videos.