Communicating the risk of recall in mammography screening - Enskilment in breast radiography

Introduction

In Denmark, there are no official guidelines on how to inform women about the risk of recall during mammography screening, leading to varied local practices. This study explored the experiences of radiographers at a Danish mammography screening unit and breast cancer assessment clinic communicating the risk of recall and false-positive results.

Methods

This study involved 12 weeks of ethnographic fieldwork over the course of one year, along with eleven semi-structured interviews with radiographers.

Results

Radiographers worked at the screening unit and the breast cancer assessment clinic. This provided them an opportunity to learn from their colleagues, improve communication skills, and the ability to recognise and respond to emotional reactions. The radiographers were aware that recalls might cause psychosocial consequences and had thus established a local practice sensitive to this. The radiographers informed women at their first screening about the risk of recall and false positives, aiming to mitigate these consequences.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the advantages of radiographers working in both screening and clinical settings.

Implications for practice

Insights from this study may inspire future guidelines or local screening practices and improve patient care. Furthermore, results may inform department managers’ workload organisation.