The reality is cancer touches us all. And when it does, we all hope that we’re diagnosed early and treated quickly using state-of-the-art techniques and equipment that allow us to get back to our lives and our families sooner. At Trillium Health Partners, exceptional quality of care has always been our commitment. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for 25 per cent of all new cancer cases in women which makes your investment in the Michèle S. Darling Women’s Imaging and Assessment Centre integral to our ability to provide the breast diagnostic services our community members rely on, close to home.
The Michèle S. Darling Women’s Imaging and Assessment Centre by the Numbers
2020/2021
- 12,188 patient visits as of October 1, 2021
- 8,020 of mammograms performed
- 1,380 of biopsies/procedures/etc.
- 642 Ontario Breast Screening Program (OSBP) Assessments
Leveraging technology to refine processes and continue delivering safe, effective care
Last year, we introduced new technologies to mitigate disruption of services and ensure the safety and comfort of all patients accessing services at the Centre. This included rolling out digital platforms like PocketHealth, Epic and a new mammography unit.
As an organization, Trillium Health Partners is committed to patient-centric innovation to ensure we are delivering leading-edge care. The arrival of COVID-19 simply accelerated this transition. In 2021, we have prioritized virtual care, purchasing new equipment and amenities for patients and improving ergonomics for clinical staff in response to the technological improvements we made in 2020.
Shift to Virtual Care: Throughout the pandemic, our staff have noticed some reluctance among patients to visit the Centre for their screenings. In response to patient concerns we have incorporated virtual care for those with negative screenings and thus low risk and don’t require a follow-up appointment.
New, state-of-the-art breast biopsy unit: We have been approved for a new advanced breast biopsy unit, with installation planned for the end of the year. This unit is similar to what we have now but more advanced, with the ability to do biopsies in a “prone position” which allows patients to lay down. It’s a better angle to target tumors or regions of interest and is also more comfortable for the patient.
Patient Amenities: Patients told us that it would help if there were mirrors in our change rooms. We have added these mirrors and will install more in our waiting rooms as well.
Staff Ergonomics: The rollout of Epic across Trillium Health Partners has created a seamless, digital system that clinicians can access to retrieve health records for their patients. This means clinical staff are no longer recording information on paper and are instead inputting and reviewing information on a computer screen. To further personalize our patient interactions, we have installed wall mounts for the computers so that staff can swivel and face the patient as opposed to having their back turned to them while they type. This also helps with overall physical comfort of our staff, as they no longer have to turn around when addressing the patient. While it’s a small change, it has meant a lot to our staff and patients, creating a more welcoming environment.