Mammography Screening Outreach Through Non-Primary Care-Based Services.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Oncology

Background:

• Mammography screening is crucial for early breast cancer detection.
• Non-primary care settings may represent missed opportunities for cancer screening interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the proportion of patients visiting urgent care, emergency departments, or hospitalized who were not up-to-date with mammography screening.
• To assess the potential impact of non-primary care-based cancer screening interventions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 2019 National Health Interview Survey data from adult women (40-74 years).
• Estimation of urgent care, emergency department visits, or hospitalizations among those not up-to-date with mammography screening.
• Logistic regression to identify associations between sociodemographic factors and screening adherence.

Main Results:

• 44.9% of women aged 40-74 did not have mammography screening in the past year.
• Among those unscreened, 29.2% visited urgent care, 21.8% visited emergency rooms, and 9.6% were hospitalized.
• Underserved groups, including Black and Hispanic patients, were disproportionately represented among those not up-to-date with screening.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of women lacking recommended mammography screening utilize non-primary care services.
• Urgent care centers and emergency departments may serve as critical touchpoints for promoting breast cancer screening.
• Targeted interventions are needed, particularly for underserved populations, to improve mammography adherence.