Technologists' Characteristics and Quality of Positioning in Daily Practice in a Canadian Breast Cancer Screening...

This study evaluates to what extent technologists' experience, training, or practice in mammography are associated with screening mammography positioning quality.

Positioning quality of a random sample of 1278 mammograms drawn from the 394,190 screening examinations performed in 2004-2005 in the Breast Cancer Screening Program of Quebec (Canada) was evaluated by an expert radiologist. Information on technologists' experience, training, and practice was obtained by mailed questionnaire. Multivariable Poisson regression models with robust estimation of variance were used to assess the association of technologists' characteristics with higher positioning quality.

Of 254 randomly selected technologists, 220 (86.6%) completed the questionnaire. Participating technologists did 89.2% of available sampled mammograms (1088 of 1220), of which 45.9% were of higher positioning quality. Technologists who, in addition to mandatory training, followed at least 15 hours of hands-on training in positioning performed higher positioning quality (adjusted ratio = 1.3, 95%CI = 1.1-1.5) than technologists with no such additional training. Technologists providing at least 15 hours of continued medical education also performed higher positioning quality (adjusted ratio = 1.3, 95%CI = 1.1-1.5) than those who provided less than 15 hours of continued medical education. Being involved in film development and proportion of mammograms performed that are screening compared to diagnostic were also associated with positioning quality, although the latter association was less clear.

Extra hands-on training in positioning could further improve screening mammography positioning quality in the screening program because many technologists did not have such additional training.