For many women, scheduling a mammogram can be a daunting experience. Fear, anxiety, and past discomfort often lead to hesitation, rescheduling, or even skipping necessary screenings. However, one of the most overlooked factors in patient compliance is comfort—the more comfortable a patient is, the more likely they are to complete their exam successfully.
Why Comfort Matters in Mammography
Several factors can cause discomfort during a mammogram, each of which can lead to patient movement, blurry images, and repeat scans, which increase radiation exposure and decrease operational efficiency.
These factors include:
- Cold Imaging Plates: Patients often recoil when their breast touches the cold, hard detector, making proper positioning challenging.
- Skin Sticking to the Plate: Sweaty or sensitive skin can adhere to the detector, making repositioning uncomfortable and even painful.
- Anxiousness & Fear: First-time patients or those with past negative experiences may tense up, reducing the technologist’s ability to position them correctly.
- Delicate Skin Conditions: Patients with sensitive skin, post-surgical scars, or conditions like eczema or post-radiation sensitivity may experience discomfort when their skin is in direct contact with the machine.
Protective Coverlets Can Improve Patient Comfort in Mammography
Bella Blankets® protective coverlets can help improve patient comfort in addition to helping technologists maximize tissue acquisition. They act as a soft barrier between the patient’s skin and the imaging plate, taking the chill away from the exam. Many patients describe the cold detector as one of the most uncomfortable parts of a mammogram. With Bella Blankets in place, patients are less likely to pull away during imaging, allowing for better positioning and reducing the need for repeat scans.
They also help prevent the patient's skin from sticking to the receptor plate. Patients with clammy or delicate skin often experience discomfort when their breasts stick to the imaging plate. Bella Blankets’ gentle, textured surface helps prevent this, making positioning easier for the technologist and more comfortable for the patient.
Encouraging Patient Relaxation
When patients are comfortable, they are more cooperative, allowing the technologist to position their breast tissue properly. Relaxed patients also breathe more naturally, reducing involuntary movement that could blur the image. Surveys have shown that when patients feel at ease during imaging, there is less need for repeat scans, improving workflow efficiency in the mammography department.
Protecting Sensitive Skin
Patients with thin, aging skin or previous surgical scars are prone to skin irritation and tears. Bella Blankets provide a gentle, protective layer that helps prevent skin tears during compression and movement.
It's not unusual for facilities adopting the use of Bella Blankets to tell us that their incidents of skin tears have gone way down, like this imaging manager from New York who stated, “Many of our older patients with delicate skin have had skin tears in the past. With Bella Blankets, we no longer see that issue—it’s been a game-changer for patient safety.”
Comfort and Compliance: The Bigger Picture
Mammography centers across the country have reported several benefits since implementing Bella Blankets at their facility, including:
- Fewer patient complaints about discomfort
- Reduced number of repeat scans due to positioning errors
- Increased patient satisfaction scores
- Higher return rates for annual screenings
So when you come down to it, comfort in mammography isn’t just about making the exam feel better—it’s about ensuring more women comply with their screening schedules.
When patients have a positive experience, they are more likely to return for their next mammogram—increasing early detection rates and ultimately saving lives.
Do you want to enhance patient comfort and compliance at your facility? Contact your Medical Imaging Account Manager today at 1.800.233.5539 or info@beekley.com to request samples or schedule a trial evaluation of Bella Blankets today.
Colleen O'Flaherty
Product Manager - Mammography and Breast Biopsy
