What pizza delivery and university radiologists’ new approach to mammography have in common
University of Cincinnati Colleges of Medicine radiology experts are drawing inspiration from pizza delivery to improve the patient experience in breast cancer screening.
When consumers order from restaurants such as Domino’s, they’re able to track their pie when it enters the oven, is boxed and departs for delivery. Similarly, UC researchers sought to give patients greater insight into their breast imaging visit, allowing them to follow the steps in real-time to quell angst that comes with waiting for results.
“We had seen this as something that we know is anxiety-provoking for women,” Ann Brown, MD, an associate professor and UC Health breast radiologist, said in an item published by UC News on Oct. 21. “We found we do very well in terms of sending reminders but not so well in terms of what are the next steps for patients.”
The Ohio institution deployed a multidisciplinary team to improve the screening process, including radiologists, operational staffers, technologists, coordinators, and design faculty and students. They sought to use a “human-centered design” approach to making breast cancer screening more focused on patient needs, rather than providers. The project was supported by GE HealthCare and the American College of Radiology Innovation Fund.
Brown and the research team observed the mammography process and conducted interviews, identifying patient pain points across scheduling, appointments, results, and follow-up care. Their work landed on four key areas for improvement:
- Reducing wait times for abnormal screening results, a “major source of patient anxiety.”
- Making radiology reports clearer as to whether the results are benign or malignant, and any key follow-up steps.
- Presenting the results with more easy-to-understand language.
- Improving awareness about breast density and its implications.
The team designed a new process tracker, allowing patients to receive real-time updates when a radiologist reviews breast images, finalizes their report and expects to transmit findings to the patient. UC is now working to implement these changes within its patient portal.
Researchers also added images into reports to help women better understand and visualize dense breast tissue. They also revamped the standard mammography follow-up letter, making it less “cold and clinical” and more approachable.
“Simplifying the information into lay terms and explaining what’s actionable from it was an important component,” noted Seetharam Chadalavada, MD, an associate professor and vice chair of radiology. “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 radiologist had never participated in a human-centered design project before. But he and the research team believe the specialty can draw important insights from businesses such as pizza parlors, which are much more adept at tapping into consumer needs.
“Industry has been amazing at using human-centered design, but medicine tends to be a little more traditional,” he said. “Oftentimes we rely on, ‘I’m the expert, let me tell you what you should do.’ But we kept the end users in mind when going through this process.”
You can read more about the project in the UC News item, and this July study published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.