Many Mammogram facilities in the U.S. are facing staffing shortages, which, if left unaddressed, may further limit women’s access to mammograms and discourage more from getting them, according to study findings released Tuesday.

A survey of 45 U.S. mammography facilities in three states found that 44 percent did not have enough radiologists on staff to meet the demand for mammography services. Twenty percent had shortages in qualified technologists, according to the results published in the journal Radiology. The shortages were higher in non-profit facilities than facilities that operated for-profit.

Women had to wait between 1 and 4 weeks for diagnostic mammography, designed to investigate a possible problem. For regular screening Mammograms, women waited up to 8 weeks for an appointment.

Study author Dr. Carl D’Orsi of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia said that he believed that over time, women might have an even harder time getting an appointment for a mammogram. And if women have to wait even longer for a mammogram, they may not get one at all, he said.

“Since most women are fearful of the outcome of screening mammography, a drop in access may be a reason for them not to go at all for screening,” D’Orsi suggested. “This would be a huge step backward,” he noted, since studies show that routine mammograms can reduce the risk of dying of breast cancer by up to 30 percent.

D’Orsi explained that if facilities lack adequate staff, they might have to close, which may limit access to mammograms. Staff shortages can also delay diagnoses, which can have serious consequences for women, he and his colleagues note.

Radiology has become a less attractive field to would-be staffers, he said, due to fears of malpractice and the vast amount of regulation and paperwork involved. And as the number of aging women who need mammograms increases, this “all spells diminished access over time,” D’Orsi said.

SOURCE: Radiology, May 2005.