The COVID‐19 BreastScreen Department – beyond the pandemic

• Published in: Journal of medical radiation sciences Vol. 67; no. 4; pp. 352 - 355
• Main Author: Spuur, Kelly Maree
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-12-2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Australia - epidemiology; Breast cancer; Breast imaging; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Breast Neoplasms - virology; breast screening; Commentaries; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - transmission; COVID-19 - virology; Disease control; Early Detection of Cancer - standards; Female; Humans; Infections; Mammography; Mammography - standards; Medical imaging; pandemic; Pandemics; positioning; Practice Guidelines as Topic - standards; radiographer; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; Social distancing; Womens health; Australia; New Zealand; Queensland Australia; COVID-19; breast screening; mammography; Breast imaging; positioning; pandemic; radiographer
• ISSN: 2051-3895; 2051-3909
• DOI: 10.1002/jmrs.430

The first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia forced a temporary closure of BreastScreen Australia services. Now reopened, the BreastScreen experience has been redefined for both staff and clients and the journey to the ‘new BreastScreen normal’ is continually evolving in response to the ongoing threat of COVID‐19 and government directives on health policy. Many changes mirror those undertaken in the wider community and emphasise wellness to attend, hygiene and social distancing. Importantly, radiographers have been identified as having a high‐risk role and have had to modify positioning techniques and cleaning regimes accordingly. Beyond the pandemic, the ‘new normal’ needs to be one which enables well women to continue screening with a visible sense of reassurance that all that can be done is being done to ensure the safe and continued early detection of breast cancer.
BreastScreen Australia has had to respond directly to the COVID‐19 threat to protect its staff, clients, their families and the wider community, making changes to the way it operates including a never before seen shut down services. COVID‐19 has redefined a ‘new BreastScreen normal’ with key changes essentially mirroring those undertaken in the wider community in an effort to limit the transmission of COVID‐19 and more specific changes impacting imaging. As policy and procedures continually evolve in response to the ongoing threat, the ‘new normal’ needs to be one which enables well women to continue screening with a visible sense of reassurance that all that can be done is being done to ensure the safe and continued early detection of breast cancer.