This website is a project of Dr. William Goodson, a breast surgeon who has practiced in San Francisco, California for over 25 years.
Dr. Goodson believes that all women should have an annual clinical breast exam and that each breast should be examined for at least one minute (2 minutes for both breasts). From conversations with other physicians, he has heard their objections to doing a CBE that lasts even just 2 minutes.
Both female and male doctors say, “If I spend that much time doing a breast exam, the patient will wonder why.”
Every physician is concerned that they convey respect to their patients, but this is a situation where showing respect interferes with delivering the best care possible.
The intent of this website is to educate women on the benefits of the 2 Minute Breast Exam in the hope that they will tell their physicians and clinicians that it is okay to take 2 Minutes to do their breast exam — and, in fact, they want their clinician to take a full 2 minutes.
To help you make this point, we have prepared Breast Exam Timers to take to your doctor visit so that 2 minutes will become the minimum standard. The timers are also a good way to help your friends remember that they, too, should request 2 minutes for their annual clinical breast exam.
Click here to view a 2 minute breast exam
In presentations, when women are shown a video of a CBE as short as 2 minutes, only about one in five says that she has had a breast exam that is even that thorough. More »
For yourself or a friend »
