Plush Robes Offer Comfort for Patients Receiving Mammograms

It’s no question that mammograms save lives by detecting cancer early, when it’s most treatable. But it usually isn’t a very comfortable experience.

“We were using standard gowns for our mammography patients,” said Wayne UNC Senior Mammo Tech Melissa Newsome, RT-RM. “While they waited in an interior waiting room, we heard from many patients that they felt uncomfortable, exposed or cold.”

Looking for ways to create a more peaceful, comforting environment for patients, the mammo team sprung for soft, spa-like robes they now provide to every patient to wear while she completes her screening exam.

Barbara Shelton, a Medical Staff Performance Improvement Director at Wayne UNC, was among the first to experience the plush robes. “It was time for my mammogram, and when I got there, I was just taken aback,” she said. “When I walked in there, and she handed me the key to the locker and then that robe, I said, ‘Wow! This is the nicest thing you have ever done for us.’”

Shelton, who describes herself as cold-natured, said not only were the robes warm, but they made her feel pampered. The team also offered her a beverage while she waited.

The addition of spa robes is just one more step the team has taken to help patients feel more comfortable and supported and encourage more women to complete their routine screenings.

“When you consider that 1 in every 8 patients will develop breast cancer in their lifetimes, it’s important that we are doing everything we can to encourage women to get their mammograms,” said Newsome.