Surviving the COVID-19 pandemic: navigating the recovery of breast imaging services in a safety-net hospital.
Breast Cancer Res Treat
; 201(1): 127-138, 2023 Aug.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37330947
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on county safety-net breast imaging services and describe the steps taken to actively manage and mitigate delays.METHODS:
This was an IRB exempt retrospective review of our county safety-net breast imaging practice analyzed for 4 distinct time periods (1) "Shut-down period" March 17, 2020 to May 17, 2020; (2) "Phased re-opening" May 18, 2020 to June 30, 2020; (3) "Ramp-up" July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020; and (4) "Current state" October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021. These time periods were compared to identical time periods 1 year prior. For "Current state," given that the 1-year prior comparison encompassed the first 3 periods of the pandemic, the identical time period 2 years prior was also compared.RESULTS:
Our safety-net practice sustained significant volume losses during the first 3 time periods with a 99% reduction in screening mammography in the shut-down period. Cancers diagnosed decreased by 17% in 2020 (n = 229) compared to 2019 (n = 276). By implementing multiple initiatives that targeted improved access to care, including building community-hospital partnerships and engagement through outreach events and a community education roadshow, we were able to recover and significantly exceed our pandemic screening volumes by 48.1% (27,279 vs 18,419) from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021 compared to the identical time period 1 year prior, and exceed our pre-pandemic screening volume by 17.4% (27,279 vs 23,234) compared to the identical time period 2 years prior.CONCLUSION:
Through specific community outreach programs and optimized navigation, our safety-net breast imaging practice was able to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our patient population by increasing patient engagement and breast imaging services.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
1_ASSA2030
/
2_ODS3
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4_TD
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neoplasias da Mama
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
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Screening_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Breast Cancer Res Treat
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article