The access to mammography and the perceptions of women's health policy markers

Abstract

Mammography is considered the most effective tool for the early detection of breast cancer. This study aimed to identify the policy markers' perception on mammography access to menopausal women using the Brazilian Public Healthcare System. This is a descriptive, exploratory and qualitative research that implicated 22 women's health policy makers of the municipalities under the 3rd Regional Healthcare Coordination in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The results demonstrated the clients' dissatisfaction with the services provided since the test's supply is lower than its demand. The small number of mammogram tests performed can be considered one of the reasons for late breast cancer diagnosis and therefore contributes to a large number of deaths from the disease. In conclusion, it is necessary to increase the number of mammograms for menopausal women and so reduce the death rate from breast cancer in the region.