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Telephone Reminders Increase Re-Screening in a County Breast Screening Program
- Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 19, Number 2, May 2008
- pp. 512-521
- 10.1353/hpu.0.0025
- Article
- Additional Information
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Introduction. Mammography can reduce breast cancer mortality through routine screening. We tested an intervention to increase re-screening in a county program. Methods. The program requires enrollment before screening. We randomized women who had previously been screened by the program to a telephone call reminder for re-enrollment or usual care (postcard reminder). We followed re-enrollment and re-screening rates for both groups. Results. Compared with the control group (n=610), women in the intervention group (n=599) had higher rates of initial re-enrollment at one month (10% vs. 24%, p<.001) and re-screening at two months (11% vs. 19%, p<.001). These effects persisted over time (five-month re-enrollment: 24% vs. 35%, p<.001; six-month re-screening: 23% vs. 31%, p=.004). The intervention did not alter the odds of a woman's being re-screened once re-enrolled. Conclusion. The increase in our re-screening rate after this simple intervention was as great or greater than the rates reported in other studies. A telephone reminder for women previously enrolled in a county breast screening program can increase re-enrollment and subsequent re-screening rates.