The Breast Radiologist as a Public Educator: Designing an Effective Presentation for a Lay Audience

Abstract

Educating the public about breast cancer screening and diagnosis is important. Medical and regulatory agencies encourage shared decision making about undergoing breast cancer screening, and there are many places women can get information and misinformation. The Internet and other media sources present information that may not be correct or understandable. Breast radiologists are uniquely qualified to provide women with the accurate information necessary to enable informed choices. As a specialty, we have an obligation to our community to provide relevant and understandable information. We can accomplish that through community outreach forums. Presentations should be understandable with plain language, focusing on our key message and using pertinent images or icons. Slides should be simple and avoid medical jargon or complex statistics. As we engage with the community, we provide a vital service to the health of our community and foster respect of our specialty.

Keywords: Lay public; breast cancer; health literacy; mammogram screening; minority health care.