Can postal prompts from general practitioners improve the uptake of breast screening? A randomised controlled trial in one east London general practice

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect on the uptake of breast screening of a personalized letter from the general practitioner recommending mammography, sent to coincide with an invitation from the NHS breast screening programme.

Design: Randomised control trial with stratification of prognostic variables.

Setting: A group practice in Hackney, east London.

Subjects: 473 women invited for breast screening by the City and East London Breast Screening Service.

Outcome measure: Attendance for mammography.

Results: All women in the randomised trial were followed up; 134 of 236 (57%) randomly allocated to receive the prompting letter attended for mammography compared with 120 of 234 (51%) controls This difference was not significant (chi 2 = 1.43, p = 0.23)

Conclusion: Personal recommendation by a letter prompting attendance for mammography from the general practitioner known best to women due to be screened did not improve uptake of breast screening in this east London practice. Other strategies are needed to increase uptake of mammography in inner cities.