Unique partnership leverages funds and technology to track and improve breast screening program

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Atlantic announced today a first-of-its-kind partnership between the breast screening programs of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador that yield benefits that could extend to the rest of Canada and beyond. Under the partnership, the screening programs will collaborate on the development of a customized, shared database that will form the foundation of a breast cancer program that tracks women throughout their involvement in screening and diagnosis.

"The database itself is a goldmine of information and an epidemiologist's dream," says Dr. Jennifer Payne, Assistant Professor, Department of Diagnostic Radiology at Dalhousie University. "We're able to watch - in real time - how the program is operating and respond quickly to areas of concern or opportunities for improvement."

As a woman enters the program for screening or diagnosis, her file becomes part of the improved database for that province. The database is used to drive the operations of the program and will:

- Ensure women are tracked throughout their involvement in the program, whether for routine screening or as they move through diagnosis to treatment for breast cancer - Generate reminder notices to ensure women book their regular mammograms - Send updates on women's progress and outcomes to their family doctor - Offer personalized and confidential reports to healthcare providers on their performance as part of the system - Allow instant review and proactive management of wait times and bookings

The information collected will provide insight into:

- How screening programs are used (age of participants, frequency of visits, distance travelled to service) - Areas where screening services are underused and participation rates could be higher - Real-time detection of trends or anomalies in screening and/or diagnosis - How screening is able to detect cancer earlier, allowing for better treatment options while reducing the number of cancer deaths

The programs will develop software which can be easily tailored and used for many purposes. This allows the research team to develop a highly customized program for both breast screening and diagnosis.

"When we funded this community health project four years ago, we were fascinated by its potential to improve the screening program," said Nancy Margeson, CEO of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Atlantic Region. "With two provinces now agreeing to share in the effort, our investment in the region has already doubled, and the other Atlantic Provinces have also shown interest."