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. 2001 Mar;16(3):150-6.
doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2001.00329.x.

Increased patient concern after false-positive mammograms: clinician documentation and subsequent ambulatory visits

M B Barton  1 , S Moore, S Polk, E Shtatland, J G Elmore, S W Fletcher
Affiliations

Increased patient concern after false-positive mammograms: clinician documentation and subsequent ambulatory visits

M B Barton et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To measure how often a breast-related concern was documented in medical records after screening mammography according to the mammogram result (normal, or true-negative vs false-positive) and to measure changes in health care utilization in the year after the mammogram.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Large health maintenance organization in New England.

Patients: Group of 496 women with false-positive screening mammograms and a comparison group of 496 women with normal screening mammograms, matched for location and year of mammogram.

Measurements and main results: 1) Documentation in clinicians' notes of patient concern about the breast and 2) ambulatory health care utilization, both breast-related and non-breast-related, in the year after the mammogram. Fifty (10%) of 496 women with false-positive mammograms had documentation of breast-related concern during the 12 months after the mammogram, compared to 1 (0.2%) woman with a normal mammogram (P =.001). Documented concern increased with the intensity of recommended follow-up (P =.009). Subsequent ambulatory visits, not related to the screening mammogram, increased in the year after the mammogram among women with false-positive mammograms, both in terms of breast-related visits (incidence ratio, 3.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69 to 5.93) and non-breast-related visits (incidence ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.25).

Conclusions: Clinicians document concern about breast cancer in 10% of women who have false-positive mammograms, and subsequent use of health care services are increased among women with false-positive mammogram results.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Proportion of women with concern documented in the medical record within 12 months after a false-positive mammogram according to intensity of follow-up recommendation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Breast cancer screening: can we talk?
    Miller RG. Miller RG. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Mar;16(3):206-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2001.10119.x. J Gen Intern Med. 2001. PMID: 11318918 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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