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Communication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammograms.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Poon, EG; Haas, JS; Louise Puopolo, A; Gandhi, TK; Burdick, E; Bates, DW; Brennan, TA
Published in: Journal of general internal medicine
April 2004

To identify the communication factors that are significantly associated with appropriate short-term follow-up of abnormal mammograms.Prospective longitudinal study involving medical record review and patient survey.Ten academically affiliated ambulatory medical practices in the Boston metropolitan area.One hundred twenty-six women with abnormal mammograms requiring short-term (6 months) follow-up imaging.Proportion of women in the study who received appropriate follow-up care.Eighty-one (64%) of the women with abnormal mammograms requiring short-term follow-up imaging received the appropriate follow-up care. After adjusting for patients' age and insurance status, 2 communication factors were found to be independently associated with the delivery of appropriate follow-up care: 1). physicians' documentation of a follow-up plan in the medical record (adjusted odds ratio, 2.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 6.98; P =.029); and 2). patients' understanding of the need for follow-up (adjusted odds ratio, 3.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.50 to 9.96; P =.006). None of the patients' clinical or psychological characteristics were associated with the delivery of appropriate follow-up care.Follow-up care for women with abnormal mammograms requiring short-term follow-up imaging is suboptimal. Documentation of the follow-up plan by the physician and understanding of the follow-up plan by the patient are important factors that are correlated with the receipt of appropriate follow-up care for these women. Interventions designed to improve the quality of result follow-up in the outpatient setting should address these issues in patient-doctor communication.

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Published In

Journal of general internal medicine

DOI

EISSN

1525-1497

ISSN

0884-8734

Publication Date

April 2004

Volume

19

Issue

4

Start / End Page

316 / 323

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality of Health Care
  • Prospective Studies
  • Primary Health Care
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Middle Aged
  • Mammography
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Humans
  • General & Internal Medicine
  • Female
 

Citation

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Poon, E. G., Haas, J. S., Louise Puopolo, A., Gandhi, T. K., Burdick, E., Bates, D. W., & Brennan, T. A. (2004). Communication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammograms. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 19(4), 316–323. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2004.30357.x
Poon, Eric G., Jennifer S. Haas, Ann Louise Puopolo, Tejal K. Gandhi, Elisabeth Burdick, David W. Bates, and Troyen A. Brennan. “Communication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammograms.Journal of General Internal Medicine 19, no. 4 (April 2004): 316–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2004.30357.x.
Poon EG, Haas JS, Louise Puopolo A, Gandhi TK, Burdick E, Bates DW, et al. Communication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammograms. Journal of general internal medicine. 2004 Apr;19(4):316–23.
Poon, Eric G., et al. “Communication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammograms.Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 19, no. 4, Apr. 2004, pp. 316–23. Epmc, doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2004.30357.x.
Poon EG, Haas JS, Louise Puopolo A, Gandhi TK, Burdick E, Bates DW, Brennan TA. Communication factors in the follow-up of abnormal mammograms. Journal of general internal medicine. 2004 Apr;19(4):316–323.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of general internal medicine

DOI

EISSN

1525-1497

ISSN

0884-8734

Publication Date

April 2004

Volume

19

Issue

4

Start / End Page

316 / 323

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality of Health Care
  • Prospective Studies
  • Primary Health Care
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Middle Aged
  • Mammography
  • Insurance Coverage
  • Humans
  • General & Internal Medicine
  • Female