Towards more effective online information support for mammography screening decisions

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Medical Decision Making

Background:

• Patient-directed web resources are crucial for health information.
• Mammography screening decisions require balanced benefit and harm data.
• Current online information on mammography screening lacks consistency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the consistency and relevance of mammography screening information provided by U.S. public health agencies and professional groups.
• To analyze how benefits and harms of mammography are presented online.
• To evaluate the adequacy of online information for supporting patient preference-sensitive decisions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of websites from 14 U.S. public health agencies and professional groups (August 2016-February 2017).
• Analysis of qualitative and quantitative information on breast cancer mortality, false positives, unnecessary biopsies, and overdetection.
• Comparison of information delivery, framing, and completeness across identified resources.

Main Results:

• Significant variation exists in the reported benefits and harms of mammography screening.
• Inconsistent presentation of information, both qualitatively and quantitatively, was observed.
• The framing and delivery of mammography screening information varied considerably among sources.

Conclusions:

• Inconsistent and incomplete presentation of mammography screening benefits and harms is ethically problematic.
• There is a need for standardized categories in presenting screening information.
• Adoption of uniform categories is recommended to support genuine preference-sensitive decision-making for patients.