Increasing Annual Recall in State Early Detection Programs
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: This project seeks to increase compliance with annual recall for breast cancer screening (mammography and clinical breast examination) among low income, uninsured women ages 50 and above, participating in the Breast Cancer Early Detection Program (BCEDP) and the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP). The purpose of this research is to test the effectiveness of behavioral strategies designed to increase annual recall rates for BCEDP/BCCCP clients in San Diego and Imperial Counties, who were found to be asymptomatic for breast cancer during their initial or previous screening cycle.
 
 
 
 The BCEDP/BCCCP provides free breast cancer screening services to program eligible women on an annual basis. Research has demonstrated that mortality can be reduced up to 30% among women 50 years of age and older through the use of annual screening mammography and clinical breast examination. Currently, more than 5,000 women are being served each month by the state-funded programs, with approximately 450-550 women screened per month in the San Diego-Imperial county region. The BCEDP/BCCCP has been extremely successful in providing initial screening services. However, evidence suggests that the program’s underserved target population may not adhere to recommended annual screening over time. With 80,000 women screened statewide since 1991, the BCCCP has only been able to achieve an 18% mammography rescreening rate. The BCEDP/BCCCP is typical of efforts to increase breast cancer screening, "Overall mammography rates have increased substantially in the past decade, but rates of repeat and annual screenings remain low for women in the target age group" (Mayer, 1994). Only with annual screening is breast cancer mortality impacted, by enabling women to benefit from early detection.
 
 
 
 This project seeks to: (l) conduct a literature review of cost effective strategies that show promise for increasing annual recall compliance among the target population; (2) through a physician survey and medical record review, identify existing annual recall strategies currently utilized by San Diego-Imperial County primary care providers and determine if new strategies can be incorporated into clinical practice; (3) through discussion groups with women over 50 years of age, ensure that new strategies are culturally sensitive and appropriate; (4) community collaborators will select up to three strategies to be put into place at BCEDP/BCCCP clinics; (5) community partners together with researchers and project staff will evaluate the effectiveness of the three strategies in a small study during Cycle III and in a full scale study in Cycle IV and; (6) send study results to approximately 1,000 BCEDP/BCCCP providers in California in an attempt to retain women in the statewide program over time so that older, low income women at highest risk are diagnosed earlier, possibly leading to better prognosis and a lowering of the number of deaths due to breast cancer.