Identifying Cancer Screening Adherence in the Emergency Department Utilizing Research Associates.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• A significant portion of adult women do not adhere to recommended breast and cervical cancer screening guidelines.
• Low screening rates pose a public health challenge despite proven benefits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of research associates (RAs) in emergency departments (EDs) for assessing breast and cervical cancer screening (BCCS) compliance.
• To determine if RAs can provide actionable information for patients needing overdue screenings.

Main Methods:

• RAs approached non-emergent female patients and visitors aged 21-74 in 5 diverse US hospitals.
• Verbal consent was obtained, followed by assessment of BCCS compliance based on USPSTF recommendations.
• Information on accessing recommended screenings was provided to participants found to be overdue.

Main Results:

• Out of 5419 women aged 50-74 eligible for breast screening, 786 (15%) were non-compliant.
• Out of 11,667 women aged 21-65 eligible for cervical screening, 1208 (12%) were non-compliant.
• 3169 participants reported lacking a women's primary health care provider.

Conclusions:

• Research associates in emergency departments can effectively identify women requiring breast and cervical cancer screenings.
• This approach demonstrates potential for improving screening rates across various healthcare settings.