Early diagnosis and timely screening
Early diagnosis and mammography screening ”is the Europa Donna Italia project, the result of discussions between patient associations, scientific societies and specialists on the critical issues that lead women to abandon screening and on the actions to be developed to increase their participation. Hence the formulation of three requests presented to the institutions. The invitation letter that still arrives in paper format by post, a number for information with availability limited only to certain time slots, the request by telephone to show up for a second examination, without the possibility of asking for clarifications. No doubt about it, for the Organized Breast Screening Program, i.e. with a call from the National Health Service, the time has come for changes, with the aim of making it more efficient and, consequently, of increasing the number of adhesionthe. To talk about it, Europa Donna Italia together with Motore Sanità, organized the round table “Mammography screening: membership increases with more effective tools”, a wide-ranging project developed thanks to the synergy of patient and specialist associations, with the patronage of Scientific Societies GISMA (Italian Mammographic Screening Group), SIRM (Italian Society of Medical Radiology), AITeRS (Italian Association of Breast Radiology Technicians) e ONS (National Screening Observatory), with the unconditional support of Bayer. “Today the goal is to share women’s requests with the institutions, to begin a process of improving the diagnosis and screening service”, she declares Rosanna D’Antona, President of Europe Woman Italy. “These requests were formulated thanks to the joint work between scientific societies and associations and collected in a dossier, which represents a policy brief for the various recipients who would like to take charge of the improvement area of their competence.” All the recommendations were drafted with a view to active participation with the actors of the National Health Service, doctors, scientific societies, institutions and associations within our health system which, in this phase of digital revision and transformation, could take advantage of concrete benefits to improve our early diagnosis and screening service. The project started in May 2021 and developed in two phases. The first, of scientific training, was focused on guidelines and evidence supported by international research, relating to mammography screening and early diagnosis. The second, which took place between November and January 2022, instead had the objective of identifying, through specific workshops, the main criticalities felt by women in relation to screening programs, which hinder their adhesion and retention. Dr. Livia Giordano and Dr. Pietro Panizza, of the Scientific Technical Committee of Europa Donna Italia, act as chairman of the Project.
It was an example of strong and true synergy between the women of the associations, the so-called third sector and the healthcare world, with a bidirectional charitable current », spoke Livia Giordano, Head of Epidemiology and Screening AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, CPO Piemonte-Torino and Member of GISMA Coordination, Italian Mammographic Screening Group. “It was a nice way to start from the needs felt by women and their needs to sensitize the professionals involved in the screening processes and the political decision-makers and find solutions” together “.” A great job, which led to the drafting of a list of six requests that represent the objectives to be achieved to improve adherence to mammography screening.
From these the three priorities, the most urgent, have been extrapolated, to be submitted to the institutions and to the national and regional decision-makers on whom the application of the proposed solutions depends. They concern the invitation to join the National Health Service’s Mammographic Screening Program, with the request to update the methods of delivery of the invitation and the outcome and to reshape the message, the training of radiology technicians, the activation of the connection between the screening centers and the Breast Unit. “For years we have been trying to find a way to offer a personalized path to mammography screening but women are asking us for a global modernization of screening programs also in terms of humanization and empathization of the entire path”, underlines Pietro Panizza, Radiologist, Primary of Radiology with a specialization in Senology, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan. “These proposals are intended to be a first step in this direction.” The problem of non-compliance is upstream of Covid and therefore prior to 2020, as shown by the Surveillance Steps data relating to the three-year period 2017-2020: almost half of women between 50 and 69 years do not belong to organized screening. And until 100% coverage is reached throughout the national territory as regards the sending of letters of adhesion to the Program, it will not be possible to extend it in each Region to the 45-49 and 69-74 range, as underlined in the National Prevention Plan 2020-2025, exposing women in these groups to a potential greater risk of late diagnosis. At the meeting, the three promoters submit very specific requests to the institutions present, which should contribute to improving adhesion in quantitative terms for the number of women participating and qualitative in terms of improving the functioning of the diagnostic centers themselves.
GISMA, “Italian Group for Mammographic Screening”, Scientific Association for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer as part of organized programs . It brings together, under a single guise, all the different professionals involved at various levels in the screening programs to offer and guarantee the meeting and comparison between the different skills and experiences in order to improve the quality of the programs themselves. SIRM SIRM, the Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology, is the society of radiologists and, as of 2018, has more than 11,000 members, representing one of the main Italian scientific societies, accredited by the Ministry of Health. It is divided into 20 study sections and 18 regional groups. Founded in 1913, its purpose is scientific research, cultural updating and training in the study of biomedical imaging, in its physical, biological, diagnostic, radiation protection and computer aspects.