DARWIN, AUSTRALIA, May 9, 2024—At the Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy (ASMIRT) conference this week in Darwin, Diagnostic Imaging for Women (difw), together with Volpara Health announced significant advancements in applying AI to mammography quality assurance. Over a 12-month period, the application of Volpara Analytics™ AI software markedly improved both diagnostic accuracy and operational efficiency at difw, Brisbane’s premier tertiary women’s imaging centre.
The research highlighted Volpara Analytics™’s ability to assess every mammogram’s positioning and compression automatically and objectively, elements crucial for high-quality imaging. Traditionally, quality control involves labour-intensive reviews of mammograms by managers visually assessing image quality, using a resource that is already stretched. Volpara’s AI technology, however, introduces a systematic, unbiased approach, substantially reducing the time needed for these assessments from hours to minutes and aligning practice with global benchmarks.
Sarah Duffy, Chief Mammographer at difw, shared compelling outcomes: “Volpara has transformed our quality assurance processes, elevating our image quality from the global median to the top 10%. It also supports stringent national and international standards by ensuring optimal compression, enhancing patient comfort without compromising image quality.”
The integration of AI not only streamlines operations but also provides personalised feedback to staff, highlighting both their areas of excellence and areas for improvement. This is coupled with in-application training, promoting a culture of continuous improvement and high morale.
About Diagnostic Imaging for Women (difw)
Founded in 1998, difw is Brisbane’s first dedicated tertiary women’s imaging and intervention centre. Under the leadership of consultant radiologist, Dr. Paula Sivyer, the centre specialises in high-quality diagnostic services, addressing unique women’s health issues with a skilled team of technologists and support staff. Difw is part of Integral Diagnostics (IDX).
About Volpara Health
Volpara Health makes software to save families from cancer. Healthcare providers use Volpara to better understand cancer risk, empower patients in personal care decisions, and guide recommendations about additional imaging, genetic testing, and other interventions. Our AI-powered image analysis enables radiologists to quantify breast tissue with precision and helps technologists produce mammograms with optimal image quality, positioning, compression, and dose. In an industry facing increasing staffing shortages, our software streamlines operations, compliance preparation and provides key performance insights that support continuous quality improvement. Volpara is the preferred partner of leading healthcare institutions around the world. Our software is used in over 2,000 facilities by more than 5,600 technologists, impacting nearly 17 million patients globally. It helps providers conduct more than three million cancer risk assessments each year and can be deployed stand-alone or fully integrated with electronic health record systems, mammography reporting systems, imaging hardware, and genetic laboratories. Volpara holds the most rigorous security certifications and numerous patents and regulatory registrations, including FDA clearance and CE marking.
For more information, visit www.volparahealth.com.
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