Desirable Goals
What are desirable goals in mammography?
Desirable goals in the field of mammography are lists that describe different performance benchmarks relating to interpretation and outcomes for patients. Facilities should record all patient data to have the most accurate representation of data so they can evaluate if they are meeting the desirable goals of interpretation and mammography screenings.
What are some examples of desirable goals for performance benchmarks?
Here is the American College of Radiology’s performance benchmarks for screening and diagnostic benchmarks:
What are some of the organizations that provide desirable goals concerning performance benchmarks in mammography?
Here is a list of some of the different organizations within the field of mammography that provide desirable performance benchmarks for facilities:
- National Quality Measures for Breast Centers: https://www.nqmbc.org/quality-measure-program/quality-measures.cms
- American College of Radiology’s BI-RADS Atlas: https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/RADS/BI-RADS/FUOM-Basic-Audit.pdf
- FDA Mammography Quality Standards Act: https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/mammography-quality-standards-act-and-program
- Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium: https://www.bcsc-research.org/statistics
What are some resources for desirable goals in performance benchmarks from other countries?
Comparing desirable goals for screening and diagnostic benchmarks from other countries is important in evaluating the goals given by organizations within the US. Some articles have compared performance benchmarks from the US with various countries. To learn more, follow the links below:
- “Performance of diagnostic mammography differs in the United States and Denmark”: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.25198
- “Sensitivity and specificity of mammographic screening as practised in Vermont and Norway”: https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr/15168178
- “Comparing sensitivity and specificity of screening mammography in the United States and Denmark”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25944711/
- “Comparing the performance of mammography screening in the USA and the UK”: https://doi.org/10.1258/0969141053279130
Why are there differing opinions on desirable goals in the field of mammography?
There are differing opinions on the desirable goals for screening and diagnostic performance outcomes. There are several reasons for this: 1) differing opinions on what the ideal performance outcome should be, and 2) different population samples are used to calculate these desirable outcomes. These influential variables are some of the things that may account for the differences in desirable goals for performance benchmarks.
Sources:
BCSC. (n.d.). STATISTICS. https://www.bcsc-research.org/statistics
Hofvind, S., Geller, B. M., Skelly, J., & Vacek, P. M. (2012). Sensitivity and specificity of mammographic screening as practised in Vermont and Norway. The British Journal of Radiology, 85(1020), e1226–e1232. https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr/15168178
Jensen, A., Geller, B. M., Gard, C. C., Miglioretti, D. L., Yankaskas, B., Carney, P. A., Rosenberg, R. D., Vejborg, I., & Lynge, E. (2010). Performance of diagnostic mammography differs in the United States and Denmark. International Journal of Cancer, 127(8), 1905–1912. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.25198
Kemp Jacobsen, K., O'Meara, E. S., Key, D., S M Buist, D., Kerlikowske, K., Vejborg, I., Sprague, B. L., Lynge, E., & von Euler-Chelpin, M. (2015). Comparing sensitivity and specificity of screening mammography in the United States and Denmark. International Journal of Cancer, 137(9), 2198–2207. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.29593
National Consortium of Breast Centers, Inc. (n.d.). Quality Measures Program. NQMBC. https://www.nqmbc.org/quality-measure-program/quality-measures.cms
Smith-Bindman, R., Ballard-Barbash, R., Miglioretti, D. L., Patnick, J., & Kerlikowske, K. (2005). Comparing the performance of mammography screening in the USA and the UK. Journal of Medical Screening, 12(1), 50–54. https://doi.org/10.1258/0969141053279130
Sickles, EA, D'Orsi CJ, Bassett LW, et al. (2013). II. The Basic Clinically Reverent Audit. In: ACR Bl-RADS Atlas, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. American College of Radiology. https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/RADS/BI-RADS/FUOM-Basic-Audit.pdf
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). MQSA Program. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/mammography-quality-standards-act-and-program