Women show a strong interest in additional consulting services from breast imaging centers, regarding everything from their imaging results and breast density to calculating their risk of breast cancer, according to research presented at the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) conference in Austin, TX.
Drs. Aditi Desai and Tamarya Hoyt of Vanderbilt University Medical Center distributed an anonymous survey to 559 women presenting for screening or diagnostic mammography. The survey included questions about the women's interest in discussing their imaging results, breast density, breast cancer risk status, or whether they should receive a clinical breast exam; it also included questions about their knowledge of breast density, provider preference, and willingness to pay for a consultation with a breast radiologist.
Desai and Hoyt found that 65.7% of the women surveyed were interested in discussing imaging results, 63.6% were interested in discussing their breast cancer risk status, and 67.4% were interested in discussing breast density. They also found that women preferred to meet with breast radiologists for consultations regarding imaging results (66.7%), breast density (61.4%), and risk assessment (55.5%).
Fewer than half of the women surveyed were interested in having a clinical breast exam, but of those, 49.1% preferred a breast radiologist to do the exam, 42.7% preferred a nurse practitioner, and 8.2% had no preference. Only 26% of the women surveyed were willing to pay a consultation fee for a breast radiologist.
What's the bottom line? Facilities should consider offering consultation services by breast radiologists, the researchers concluded. Even though most women stated they would not pay for these services, the benefits of engaging patients and increasing visibility of the profession may offset costs, Desai and Hoyt said.
