User Preferences for Design Scenarios of a New Imaging Technique to Detect Breast Cancer

Abstract

Currently, new techniques for the detection of breast cancer are being developed that cause less patient discomfort than X-ray mammography. One of these techniques is photo-acoustic mammography. However, it is still unknown how important performance requirements related to diagnostic performance, discomfort, risks, and efficiency are to the adoption of new imaging technology in breast cancer screening. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a technique for multi-criteria analysis, was used to estimate health care professionals’ preferences for three scenarios of the new imaging technology. These scenarios differed in the diagnostic performance that could be achieved. Preferences for the scena..