Assessment of characteristics of capacity among breast cancer screening facilities

Use of mammograms to detect presence of breast cancer is influenced by many factors, including ability to access mammography services. Access to services is often affected by the capacity of mammography facilities to serve women. We sought to describe the capacity of mammography facilities to conduct mammograms in a largely urban area of Texas. We used a 24-item survey to all mammography facilities in Texas Public Health Region 6/5 South. The survey contained questions across six domains: facility type, scheduling, staffing, mechanical capacity, cost/payment methods, and patient reminders. We received or completed 60 surveys (43%). Most of the facilities were open only Monday through Friday (61.7%) and were open only during typical business hours (51.7%). About 83% of the facilities had one or two machines. Most facilities had only one or two staff to conduct mammograms. The results of this survey indicate that the capacity of mammography facilities vary dramatically across many characteristics of capacity. As these indicators are tied to the ability of women to access necessary preventive services, it is important to determine how these characteristics are associated with mammography utilization.