October 13, 2022 – St. John’s, NL: Three regional health authorities (Eastern Health, Labrador-Grenfell Health and Western Health) advised today that the review of mammography images read on 3-megapixel monitors instead of 5-megapixel monitors is near completion. On August 23, 2022, the three regional health authorities initiated this review and are continuing to take all the required steps to gather information including conducting a multi-RHA internal quality review, which will be completed in a timely and thorough manner.
The below table outlines the number of patients who have had their mammograms reviewed requiring no change, as of Wednesday, October 12, 2022. Of 10,883 patients, 10,845 patients have been reviewed with no change, with 38 patients who require further assessment. The percentage of patients requiring follow-up remains stable at 0.3 per cent.
| Regional Health Authority | Number of patients reviewed with no change as of Oct. 12, 2022 |
| Eastern Health | 3,649 |
| Labrador-Grenfell Health | 2,077 |
| Western Health | 5,119 |
| Total | 10,845 |
The regional health authorities have sent letters to those patients whose images are subject to the review and are in the process of following up on those with either expired MCP or invalid addresses. With the full review now nearly complete, the vast majority of patients whose examination report did not change have received a second letter or will receive one in the coming days.
For those patients whose images showed possible discrepancies, the regional health authorities are completing the following steps:
- contacting patients’ primary health-care providers;
- contacting patients by phone;
- contacting patients with a follow-up letter outlining next steps.
The review pertains to how the mammography images were viewed and not the quality of the images themselves, or the way the exam was conducted. There were no defective monitors used. To clarify, 5-megapixel monitors are the standard for the review of mammography images, while 3-megapixel monitors are the standard for all other types of images, such as X-rays and CT scans. The regional health authorities apologize to all affected patients for any concern this review has caused.
Patients, who may have questions, can call the toll-free number at 1-833-960-4574 between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.
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