Patient-support services improve mammography screening rates among inner city women, according to a new study published online October 8 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine found that giving women in this population extra support through "patient navigation services" boosted mammography screening adherence rates across all languages, races, insurance providers, and education groups (JGIM, October 8, 2010).
Lead author Christine Phillips, MD, and colleagues conducted the study over a nine-month period and included 3,895 female patients between the ages of 51 and 70 seen at Boston Medical Center's general internal medicine primary care practice. Patient navigation services were defined as phone calls and reminder letters that were intended to determine barriers to care and to help the women schedule mammograms.
At the end of the nine-month period, mammography adherence rates increased to 87% in those who received patient support. Among those who did not receive the extra support, adherence rates remained stable, at 76%, Phillips wrote.
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