ACR Members Support Batch Reading of Mammograms
A new University of Wisconsin study supports the reading of mammograms in batches rather than individually, noting that the approach raises the number of detected cancers and lowers the number of patients recalled for additional studies.
"Experts in the field of breast imaging have long believed that batch reading improves performance and our study provides supportive evidence," said ACR member Elizabeth S. Burnside, MD, chief of mammography at University Hospital in Madison, Wisc, said in a recent United Press International story. "It is tempting for efficiency's sake to fit screening mammograms into the small bits of time between other clinical activities. Batch reading requires a commitment from all members of the multidisciplinary breast care team."
ACR member Erini V. Makarioui, MD, chief of breast imaging at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC, endorsed the batch reading approach in the same UPI article, noting that his facility has used batch reading for years.
"Normally, when a radiologist reads a mammogram there are constant interruptions from the phone, other staff members, or the many demands of medical practice," Makariou said in the article. "In batch reading at Georgetown, the 40 to 50 mammograms taken the previous day are hung along with each patient's last study. The room is darkened, and once you enter to begin reading no interruptions are allowed. When you get tired you come out for a break, but otherwise you are left alone until you finish."
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