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Digital Mammography Goes Live at Waikato Hospital
Thursday 30 May
Digital Mammography Goes Live at Waikato Hospital's Breast Care Centre
Waikato Hospital’s Breast Care Centre and three mobile
breast screening units are officially transferring to
digital mammography as of this Friday (31 May).
Currently the Breast Care Centre uses film to perform mammograms; however, the film processor is fast becoming outdated when compared to new digital technology available.
Digital mammography uses digital receptors and computers instead of x-ray film to examine the breast for breast cancer.The images are recorded directly into a computer. The image can then be viewed on a computer screen and specific areas can be enlarged or highlighted. The images also can be transmitted electronically from one location to another.
The changeover from film to digital does not affect how a mammogram is performed. The procedure will take the same amount of time and will still involve compression of the breast.
“With digital, we can see the image almost instantly and women are far less likely to have to come back for another screening as a result of a poor quality image,” Waikato DHB Population Health assistant group manager Clare Coles said.
“As for the films we currently have, these can be put through a digitiser so the previous mammogram can be compared with the new image. The digital images can also more easily be sent to or viewed by other health professionals if required.”
The transfer to digital mammography has triggered a larger redevelopment of the Breast Care Centre also due for completion this week. The new design has the women’s change-rooms adjacent to the mammogram rooms near the entrance to the breast care centre, and the hub – the mammogram reading room - will be central within the building.
“The flow is so much better for patients and for staff. A lot of our patients just come in for a mammogram and currently they have to walk a long way between the reception area, changing room and the mammogram room,” Mrs Coles said.
"Now we have a much more efficient use of space which is better for patients and for staff. The Breast Care Centre team has been very innovative in their thinking to get the design right - putting the patient in the centre of their planning.
“I want to thank staff for their patience while all the renovations and installation of new equipment has been happening. For six months they have worked around the building redevelopments, and ultimately they continued to deliver high quality patient care throughout this period."
Updating to digital technology is mandatory for all BreastScreen Aotearoa (BSA) providers across New Zealand by the end of 2013. Waikato Hospital’s project has come in on time and on budget.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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