{"id":85207,"date":"2024-10-21T10:52:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T14:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/?p=85207"},"modified":"2024-11-01T09:37:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T13:37:03","slug":"breast-cancer-screening-at-the-ottawa-hospital-what-to-expect-from-your-mammogram-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/healthy-tomorrows\/breast-cancer-screening-at-the-ottawa-hospital-what-to-expect-from-your-mammogram-appointment\/","title":{"rendered":"Breast cancer screening at The Ottawa Hospital: What to expect from your mammogram appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re over the age of 40, we\u2019re here to remind you to book your next (or very first) mammogram. This is an appointment that should be in your calendar at least every two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eligible women, Two-Spirit, trans and nonbinary people between 40 and 74 can book a screening mammogram at our clinic without a referral from a primary care provider. All it takes is a phone call or a few clicks. Information on how to book your mammogram can be found in the final section of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this will be your first mammogram at our clinic \u2014 or your first mammogram ever \u2014 here\u2019s what you can expect from your appointment with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An accessible location with plenty of parking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our breast screening clinic is located at the Hampton Park Plaza shopping centre, at 1419 Carling Avenue, just off the Queensway. There is plenty of parking free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Hampton Park Plaza has been home to The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s breast screening clinic since 2001.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A warm and comforting welcome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the waiting room, you\u2019ll be greeted and checked in by one of our clerks. We may call it a \u201cwaiting room,\u201d but you won\u2019t have to wait long for your appointment once you\u2019re checked in \u2014 from a few seconds (literally!) to just a few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"First
Welcome! Mercedes Smith (top left) and Tracey Lynch (top right) will be happy to check you in, but you can also check yourself in at our welcome kiosk (bottom left).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of our medical radiation technologists will escort you to a private room for your mammogram. The technologist will leave the room while you change into a gown. When they come back, they\u2019ll ask you a few questions about your medical history and if you\u2019ve noticed any changes to your breasts since your last screening mammogram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our clinic wants to serve you in the language that is most comfortable for you. In addition to English and French, our technologists speak Arabic, Bosnian, Mandarin and Russian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Meet our medical radiation technologists!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s time for your scan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The technologist will help position you in front of a standing x-ray machine for four images, two of each breast. Your breast will be compressed between two plates, once vertically and once horizontally. Some patients do find this a little bit uncomfortable, but our technologists are as gentle as possible, and each scan only lasts a couple of seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help ensure no cancers are missed and make the experience more comfortable for our patients, our technologists are now being aided by an artificial intelligence tool. The tool lets the technologist know that the mammogram machine is applying just the right amount of compression to capture all the right images \u2014 without going too far and causing you discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team\u2019s growing experience, coupled with this new technology, is helping the clinic perform more and more mammograms every year. The clinic performs mammograms on an average of 20,000 people per year, a number it first reached in 2020, becoming the first clinic in Ontario to achieve this milestone. For 2024, the team has set a goal of 22,000 mammograms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Here\u2019s a closer look at a mammogram machine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A quick and efficient appointment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All in all, from the time you\u2019re checked in to the time you walk out the door, the whole process usually takes no more than 15 minutes. But the team will book you for a 20-minute appointment just to make sure they\u2019ve answered any questions you may have. We might be able to answer one of them right here and now in this article! One question our team gets a lot is, \u201cCan I drive after my appointment?\u201d And the answer is yes! You can drive and eat right after our team says goodbye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Medical
Medical Radiation Technologist Abir Tekaya (left): \u201cI love being a mammogram tech. Even before starting my college program, my goal was to do mammography. Meeting patients and providing them with a great service makes me feel rewarded every day.\u201d Medical Radiation Technologist Osikhueme Ogbebor (right): \u201cWe\u2019re not in a hurry to get you out of here. We want you to ask as many questions as possible. We\u2019re here to give the answers.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We welcome your feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before you leave, we\u2019d really appreciate it if you\u2019d fill out a comment card. Please tell us about your visit to help us give you the best possible service in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your results at your fingertips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Later, your mammogram will be interpreted by a radiologist from The Ottawa Hospital. And within two weeks after your appointment, you\u2019ll see your results in your MyChart, along with a note about when you should get screened again, which will most likely be in two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not signed up for MyChart, and your results are normal, the Ontario Breast Screening Program will send you a letter in the mail. If your results are abnormal, which means that the radiologist saw an area of concern that needs a closer look, our clinic will notify you to schedule an appointment at the Rose Ages Breast Health Centre at The Ottawa Hospital for additional imaging, with a specialized mammogram and\/or a breast ultrasound. Your primary care provider will be notified of the findings. At your appointment at the Breast Health Centre, you will be told your results by the radiologist or technologist and advised if further testing is required. This will be arranged by the Breast Health Centre team for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our clinic is developing a process to ensure that, if follow-up for breast imaging is needed, you will be assigned to a dedicated care provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An easy booking process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can make an appointment at our clinic or any other Ontario Breast Screening Program clinic without a referral from a primary care provider. You can refer yourself and call up any clinic to make your appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ottawa Hospital has gone a step beyond self-referral to allow self-booking at our clinic. That means you can book your appointment date and time yourself through MyChart<\/a> without having to talk to a clerk over the phone. If you\u2019re eligible for screening, you\u2019ll see a notification in your MyChart with easy-to-follow booking instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not signed up for MyChart? With MyChart, you can communicate with your doctor, access your test results, request prescription refills, manage your appointments and more. Learn more about MyChart and how to get started.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re not interested in signing up just yet, you can still make an appointment at our clinic by calling (613) 728-0777 or 1-800-465-6226.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Want to learn more about breast screening, including the benefits and if you\u2019re eligible? Check out these frequently asked questions<\/a> answered by The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s breast screening team. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it time for your regular mammogram? Meet the team at The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s Hampton Park Plaza breast screening clinic. When you book your screening mammogram with us, you can expect compassionate service and an efficient appointment (most people are in and out in under 20 minutes!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":85208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[13,412,410],"class_list":["post-85207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-tomorrows","tag-cancer","tag-population-health","tag-screening"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}