A mammogram is not remembered only for its result. A prospective study carried out in the radiology department of a medium-sized general hospital shows that women’s satisfaction with digital mammography depends mainly on modifiable features of the process —the radiographer’s communication, efforts to reduce discomfort and a prompt result— rather than on their clinical characteristics.
What was known
A negative experience during mammography can reduce women’s adherence to follow-up. Yet patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) focused on the diagnostic pathway remain scarce, particularly in general radiology departments that are not dedicated exclusively to breast imaging.
What this study adds
Prospective observational study in a medium-sized general hospital. Between February and July 2023, women attending for digital mammography or tomosynthesis for screening, surveillance, follow-up of high-risk lesions or diagnostic clarification were recruited. Of 885 eligible women, 549 (62%), aged 29 to 88 years, completed a validated 23-item PREM questionnaire. The relationship between satisfaction and personal factors (age, anxiety, pain), clinical factors (breast density, cancer history) and procedural factors (radiographer communication, radiologist consultation) was assessed using Fisher’s exact test, Kendall’s tau-b correlations and ordered logistic regression.
Main results
Overall, 78% of participants (428 of 549) reported full satisfaction with digital mammography. Satisfaction was significantly related to personal and procedural factors, whereas clinical factors showed no relevant association. Analysis of free-text answers grouped the influencing factors into four themes: waiting time before the radiologist consultation, staff competence, gratitude towards radiographers and radiologists, and the physical environment of the examination rooms. Radiographer communication and efforts to reduce discomfort emerged as key determinants, alongside immediate communication of the result by the radiologist.
What it means
The study shifts the focus: what weighs most in the patient’s experience is not the reason for the examination or her history, but how care is organised and communicated. These are aspects a department can change without new equipment. The authors conclude that systematically measuring experience with PREMs is feasible within routine breast imaging workflows and useful for quality assurance and for patient-centred optimisation of the service.
A view from the breast unit
For a breast unit the message is operational: training staff in communication, taking care over compression comfort, shortening the wait for the result and reviewing the room environment are all measurable quality levers. Adding brief experience surveys alongside clinical indicators helps identify where patients’ trust is lost.
Reference: Garuffi G, Lehnick D, Fischer G, Roos J, von Hessling A, Schrading S. Assessing Patient Satisfaction with Mammography Using Patient-Reported Measures: A Prospective Observational Study. Breast Care (Basel), 2026. DOI
