25 Nov Telephone Reminders May Increase Breast Cancer Screening

MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Dr. Jonathan Myles
Centre for Cancer Prevention, Queen Mary, University of London
Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Charterhouse Square, London

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Myles: Breast cancer screening uptake is low in areas of high social deprivation and large populations of some ethnic groups.  The main  finding of this study is that an intervention in the form of contacting women by telephone a few days before the date of their screen, reminding them of their appointment and answering any queries they may have, significantly increases uptake.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Myles: In general, there is potential for carefully planned interventions to increase uptake in areas where uptake is low.  Specifically, a telephone-based intervention such as this one can improve uptake.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Myles: We would like to understand more about the effect of this (and potentially other) interventions in specific ethnic and social groups.

Citation:

A telephone reminder intervention to improve breast screening information and access
J. Offman^, J. Myles
Public Health
Available online 18 November 2014

Last Updated on November 25, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD