Many pizza delivery services use tracking tools that show customers what stage their pizza order is at before it arrives at their doorstep. Radiology can improve patient experience by doing the same for mammograms.
The University of Cincinnati, the Live Well Collaborative and GE Healthcare applied a human-centered design to mammography screening to find ways to improve patient experience. The team found that there was room for improvement in wait times, clarity in reporting, improving results in humanizing language and upping awareness of breast density and its implications.
"The goal was to address the challenges patients often face in understanding their scan results, especially in mammography, where clear communication can significantly impact patient experience and decision-making," Cecilia Wang, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota College of Design, said in an Oct. 21 system news release.
Radiologists play a large role in screening, diagnosis, biopsy and referral in mammography, making it a prime area for them to lead the way in patient experience changes.
The team created the equivalent of a pizza-delivery tracker for mammography that gave patients real-time updates on when images were reviewed, finalized and expected to return. The trackers were implemented on MyChart and used a revamped standard letter that included more approachable language.
"Simplifying the information into lay terms and explaining what's actionable from it was an important component," Seetharam Chadalavada, MD, associate professor and vice chair of radiology at UC's College of Medicine and a UC Health radiologist, said in the release. "We added language into the letter to demonstrate that we care about your well-being, here's the recommendation and here's how you get a hold of us."
The full study was published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.