Compliance with recommended cancer screening among emergency department patients: a multicenter survey

The objectives were to measure compliance with, and possible sociodemographic disparities for, cancer screening among emergency department (ED) patients.

This was a cross-sectional survey in three academic EDs in Boston. The authors enrolled consecutive adult patients during two 24-hour periods at each site. Self-reported compliance with standard recommendations for cervical, breast, testicular, and prostate cancer screening were measured. The chi-square test was used test to evaluate associations between demographic variables and cancer screening compliance.

The authors enrolled 387 patients (81% of those eligible). The participants had a mean (+/- standard deviation) age of 44 (+/-18) years and were 52% female, 16% Hispanic, and 65% white. Sixty-seven percent (95% confidence interval [CI] = 60% to 73%) of all women reported Pap smear examinations in the past 3 years, 92% (95% CI = 85% to 96%) of women aged > or = 40 years reported clinical breast examinations, and 88% (95% CI = 81% to 94%) of women aged > or = 40 years reported mammography. Fifty-one percent (95% CI = 40% to 61%) of men aged 18-39 years reported testicular self-examinations, and among men aged > or = 40 years, 79% (95% CI = 69% to 87%) reported digital rectal examinations (DREs) and 51% (95% CI = 40% to 61%) reported prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. Racial and ethnic minorities reported slightly lower rates of clinical breast examinations and testicular self-examinations.

Most women and a majority of men in our ED-based study were compliant with recommended measures of cervical, breast, testicular, and prostate cancer screening. No large sociodemographic disparities in our patient population were identified. Based on these data, and the many other pressing public health needs of our ED population, the authors would be reluctant to promote ED-based cancer screening initiatives at this time.