Breast cancer screening in Canada: 2021/2022
Accelerating Innovations to Build Resilience in Cancer Screening during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has required jurisdictions to rethink how cancer screening services can be designed in a way that is responsive and resilient to future COVID-19 waves or other interruptions, demonstrates equitable access to screening services, and complies with health and safety measures. To facilitate this, the Partnership made funding available in 2021 to support jurisdictions’ response to the pandemic. Projects were designed to be focused on well-defined activities and be completed over 1-2 years. These projects will help accelerate the uptake of evidence-based innovations which will increase resiliency of screening services.
One province is participating in the Accelerating Innovations to Build Resilience in Cancer Screening during COVID-19 initiative for breast cancer screening.
Manitoba
Through a project titled Assessing Feasibility of Double-Reading of Abnormal Mammograms to Reduce ACR in Breast Cancer Screening, the program will explore the impact of double reading abnormal mammograms on the program’s ACR. Over a nine-month period, all abnormal mammograms conducted by the program will be read by a second radiologist. This project aims to minimize interactions with healthcare providers by reducing referrals to diagnostic follow-up and reduce the burden on the healthcare system by adopting evidence-based practices.