Mammographers Want to Know--and Go--Digital!
Well it's been a few weeks since my last blog due to a hectic schedule of seminars and major PC issues. In this advanced technology world we live in, you get "serviced" to another country and "George" tries to help as you both struggle to understand each other. Well, that's another blog topic on service!
What I really want to tell all who are listening-administrators, managers, radiologists-your technologists want digital! (By the way, I'm not trying to promote my business with this blog! I want you to encourage the decision makers at your hospitals/clinics to make the transition to digital.) Do it soon and involve your mammographers!
I've presented several seminars in various locations these past few weeks-from the sunny panhandle of Florida to the snow covered grounds of Ohio to many in between-with attendances over 100. Wow! It's amazing to see and hear their reactions to my "ABCs of digital mammography" seminars. The majority of the audiences are still analog, with a significant percentage of digitals present (this was great, plus CR mammo)! I always ask those in the audience who are digital what type of training they had, and if they were part of the digital transition in their department. It's always a disappointment to hear the comments and see the reaction. A few may have had some limited say in the decision of digital, but they really want to understand the "whys" and "hows"-not to mention the "what now?" They want to know it all!
Unfortunately, they're not experiencing that opportunity. They're still under the impression that they need to image those 10 patients an hour that digital promises. They're not realizing it's not 10 per mammographer. They're expecting it to work faster yet perceive it's taking longer, not understanding the anatomy of digital regarding workflow/PACS and the rest of the digital world!
Not every technologist can be part of the decision making, but hey, have you even asked us? It's important for the directors and managers of mammography departments to discuss changes with personnel. Ask for their input, and also support the transition of the essentially new modality of digital. Make necessary changes in the schedule to accommodate training for a new modality and educate staff before the change with seminars and workshops, making it possible for all techs to participate. Staff meetings are a great start. Yes, I understand the time demands in scheduling and preparing. But it's all about the patient, and if you don't have a staff that's comfortable or cognizant of why you have digital, then you won't have the customer satisfaction you expect from the new digital technology.
It's interesting, a few of my accounts who requested my services made the comment, "I'm not sure you should talk only on digital; not everyone is digital or interested." Well, they were wrong. With high attendance in my last few seminars-as well as evaluation feedback-they want to know! They are now understanding the "whys" and "hows" and those who are getting ready for the change have more accurate expectations. Your technologists have a voice-listen to them; they want to learn and change. Education is a great resource for significant paybacks.