A Randomized Trial of Letters From Family Physicians to Encourage Screening Mammography in Overdue Women

British Columbia Cancer Agency

Status: Completed

Conditions: Breast Cancer

Treatments: Other: Family Physician Reminder Letter; Other: Standard Reminder Postcard

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02660788

H12-02832

Details and patient eligibility

About

A randomized, double-blinded study conducted in British Columbia, Canada, where there is a publicly funded, organized screening program and screening mammography is recommended at 24-month intervals. Eligible women aged 51-73 years old and overdue for their screening mammogram by 6-24 months are identified in the database of the Screening Mammography Program of BC (SMPBC). Family physicians are recruited by mail and asked to sign letters to the overdue women in their practices. The overdue women are randomized and mailed either the signed reminder letter and the standard reminder postcard, or the standard reminder postcard alone. The primary endpoint is the proportion of overdue women attending a screening mammogram appointment 6 months after the mailing.

Enrollment: 5,498 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 51 to 73 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Active family physicians (family physicians, general practitioners or primary care physicians) who have overdue women in their practice that meet the following criteria:

• Previously been enrolled in the SMPBC and had a previous normal screening mammogram.
• Have agreed to being contacted for research on the SMPBC questionnaire
• Are 6-24 months overdue from their last screening mammogram
• Live in BC
• Have listed an active family physician as the contact to receive their mammography results

Exclusion criteria

• Family physicians who do not work in primary care
• Family physicians who do not have overdue women in their practice

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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5,498 participants in 2 patient groups

Control Arm

Active Comparator group

Description:

Mail

Treatment:

Other: Standard Reminder Postcard

Family Physician Reminder Letter Arm

Experimental group

Description:

Mail

Treatment:

Other: Family Physician Reminder Letter

Other: Standard Reminder Postcard