2023-12-15 19:45:00
FRIDAY, Dec. 15, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Allowing women to schedule their own mammogram appointments makes them more likely to follow through with screening, a new study reports.
“Self-scheduling helps make the path to getting your mammogram a little easier, where you don’t have to find the time to call a scheduling line, wait on hold, or go back and forth trying to find an appointment that fits your schedule,” explained lead researcher Kimberly Waddell, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania.
“Simple changes like these can have an outsized impact on preventive health screenings,” Waddell added in a university news release.
One in eight women is affected by breast cancer, the researchers noted in background notes. Mammograms are essential for detecting breast cancer early for better treatment, but many women are lax in following screening guidelines.
In the study, researchers analyzed data from 2016 to 2019, when the University of Pennsylvania Health System gave women the opportunity to schedule their own mammograms through their personal online patient portals.
They compared how well it worked with the two years before the new system.
In the years before the new system was implemented, patients referred for mammograms did not receive reminders and had to make calls during regular business hours to schedule their exams.
In the new system, every patient needs an electronic order from their doctor. They log into their patient portal, click on a scheduling link, and schedule the appointment on their own.
Patients also receive a reminder email to schedule their own mammogram.
All of these steps are part of a behavioral science concept called “nudge.” In the nudge, health systems make small changes that streamline people’s ability to perform desired tasks.
“The self-scheduling functionality provides the right kind of prompt, allowing patients to immediately schedule their screening tests in just a few steps,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Shivan Mehta, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania. “Removing barriers is key in behavioral science, and we were able to demonstrate the value of that firsthand here.”
Data from regarding 35,000 patient visits showed that completed mammograms more than doubled overall during the study period, rising from 22 percent to 50 percent, the results show.
Self-scheduling was directly associated with regarding 13 percentage points of that increase in screening, the researchers said.
That means regarding 4,500 more people finished their assessment of the 35,000 patients.
The findings were published in the Dec. 11 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The researchers said they were struck by how a simple, cheap change might lead to more screening.
“Patients want options in ways to schedule their appointment, and the self-scheduling feature offers another easy 24/7 avenue to schedule when it’s convenient for them,” said study co-author Jake Moore, director of access optimization at Penn Medicine.
Researchers are now conducting a clinical trial involving targeted nudges to both patients and doctors to further improve mammography performance.
They plan to send an additional text message to patients in groups who are at higher risk of not completing their mammogram.
More information
The American Cancer Society has more information regarding mammograms.
SOURCE: University of Pennsylvania, press release, December 15, 2023
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