Cancer Screening Reminders: Addressing the Spectrum of Patient Preferences

Abstract

Context: Health care systems continue to seek evidence about how to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of cancer screening reminders. Annual reminders to receive preventive services can be an efficient strategy.

Objective: To understand patient motivators and barriers to cancer screening and preferences about reminder strategies.

Design: We conducted 11 focus groups among adults recommended for cancer screening within Kaiser Permanente Washington. We held separate focus groups with women aged 21 to 49 years, women 50 to 75 years, and men 50 to 75 years. We used an inductive, validated coding scheme for analysis.

Main outcome measures: Motivators and barriers to obtaining recommended cancer screening and general cancer screening reminder content and modality preferences.

Results: Half of our participants were women aged 50 to 75 years, and 25% were men aged 50 to 75 years. Differences by age, sex, insurance status, financial status, and health beliefs all drove the participants' preferences for whether they seek these recommended services and how and when they wish to be reminded about recommended cancer screening. Most participants preferred personalized reminders, and many favored receiving reminders less than 3 months before the recommended procedure date rather than a consolidated annual reminder. Younger participants more commonly requested electronic reminders, such as texts and e-mails.

Conclusion: Optimizing cancer screening reminders within a health care system involves a multifaceted approach that enables members to request which form of reminder they prefer (eg, electronic, paper, telephone) and the timing with which they want to be reminded, while staying affordable and manageable to the health care system.

Figure 1

Birthday reminder letter. Full-text version available at www.thepermanentejournal.org/files/2017/17-051-FullLetter.pdf.