Dataset Information

Impact of Improved Screening Mammography Recall Lay Letter Readability on Patient Follow-Up.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:In the setting of abnormal results on screening mammography, the Mammography Quality Standards Act mandates that patients receive a mailed "recall" lay letter informing them to return for additional follow-up imaging. The language used in this letter should be "easily understood by a lay person." In February 2019, the authors' institution revised the language of its recall lay letter to the sixth grade reading level. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of improved readability on patient follow-up rates. METHODS:In this retrospective study, data from all screening mammograms at a single institution with BI-RADS category 0 assessments excluding technical recalls between February 2018 to February 2019 (pre-intervention group) and February 2019 to February 2020 (post-intervention group) were reviewed. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of patients in each intervention group who returned for their diagnostic follow-up examination within 60 days (the standard recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was done to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for follow-up within 60 days. RESULTS:This study included 1,987 patients in the pre-intervention group and 2,211 patients in the post-intervention group. The patient follow-up rate within 60 days increased from 90.1% (1,790 of 1,987) in the pre-intervention group to 93.9% (2,076 of 2,211) in the post-intervention group (P < .001). When controlling for imaging site, patients in the post-intervention group had 1.96-fold increased odds of returning for a diagnostic follow-up examination within 60 days (95% confidence interval, 1.52-2.53). CONCLUSIONS:Revising an institution's recall lay letter to a lower reading grade level significantly improved timely patient follow-up.

SUBMITTER: Nguyen DL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7390731 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Impact of Improved Screening Mammography Recall Lay Letter Readability on Patient Follow-Up.

Nguyen Derek L DL Harvey Susan C SC Oluyemi Eniola T ET Myers Kelly S KS Mullen Lisa A LA Ambinder Emily B EB

Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR 20200730 11

<h4>Purpose</h4>In the setting of abnormal results on screening mammography, the Mammography Quality Standards Act mandates that patients receive a mailed "recall" lay letter informing them to return for additional follow-up imaging. The language used in this letter should be "easily understood by a lay person." In February 2019, the authors' institution revised the language of its recall lay letter to the sixth grade reading level. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of improved ...[more]

PMID: 32738226

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundWhether timeliness of follow-up after abnormal mammography differs at facilities serving vulnerable populations, such as women with limited education or income, in rural areas, and racial/ethnic minorities is unknown.MethodsWe examined receipt of diagnostic evaluation after abnormal mammography using 1998-2006 Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium-linked Medicare claims. We compared whether time to recommended breast imaging or biopsy depended on whether women attended facilities serving vulnerable populations. We characterized a facility by the proportion of mammograms performed on women with limited education or income, in rural areas, or racial/ethnic minorities.ResultsWe analyzed 30,874 abnormal screening examinations recommended for follow-up imaging across 142 facilities and 10,049 abnormal diagnostic examinations recommended for biopsy across 114 facilities. Women at facilities serving populations with less education or more racial/ethnic minorities had lower rates of follow-up imaging (4%-5% difference, P<0.05), and women at facilities serving more rural and low-income populations had lower rates of biopsy (4%-5% difference, P<0.05). Women undergoing biopsy at facilities serving vulnerable populations had longer times until biopsy than those at facilities serving nonvulnerable populations (21.6 vs. 15.6 d; 95% confidence interval for mean difference 4.1-7.7). The proportion of women receiving recommended imaging within 11 months and biopsy within 3 months varied across facilities (interquartile range, 85.5%-96.5% for imaging and 79.4%-87.3% for biopsy).ConclusionsAmong Medicare recipients, follow-up rates were slightly lower at facilities serving vulnerable populations, and among those women who returned for diagnostic evaluation, time to follow-up was slightly longer at facilities that served vulnerable population. Interventions should target variability in follow-up rates across facilities, and evaluate effectiveness particularly at facilities serving vulnerable populations.

Project description:BackgroundLower mammography screening rates among minority and low income women contribute to increased morbidity and mortality from breast cancer.ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of a patient navigation intervention on adherence rates to biennial screening mammography among women engaged in primary care at an inner-city academic medical center.DesignQuality improvement intervention with a concurrent control group, conducted from February to November of 2008.Study subjectsAll women in a hospital-based primary care practice aged 51-70 years. Subjects were randomized at the level of their primary care provider, such that half of the patients in the practice received the intervention, while the other half received usual care.InterventionsIntervention subjects whose last mammogram was >18 months prior received a combination of telephone calls and reminder letters from patient navigators trained to identify barriers to care. Navigators were integrated into primary care teams and interacted directly with patients, providers, and radiology to coordinate care. Navigators utilized an electronic report to track subjects. Adherence rates to biennial mammography were assessed in intervention and control groups at baseline and post-intervention.Key resultsA total of 3,895 women were randomized to intervention (n = 1,817) and control (n = 2,078) groups. Mean age was 60, 71% were racial/ethnic minorities, 23% were non-English speaking, and 63% had public or no health insurance. At baseline, there was no difference in mammography adherence between the control and intervention groups (78%, respectively, p = 0.55). After the 9-month intervention, mammogram adherence was higher in the intervention group compared with the control group (87% vs. 76%, respectively, p < 0.001). Except among Hispanic women who demonstrated high rates in both the intervention and control groups (85% and 83%, respectively), all racial/ethnic and insurance groups demonstrated higher adherence in the intervention group.ConclusionsPatient navigation improves biennial mammography rates for inner city, low income, minority populations.

Dataset Information

Impact of Improved Screening Mammography Recall Lay Letter Readability on Patient Follow-Up.

Publications

Impact of Improved Screening Mammography Recall Lay Letter Readability on Patient Follow-Up.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets