Use of Patient Reminder Letters to Promote Cancer Screening Services in Women: A Population-Based Study in Wisconsin

Background. Patient reminder letters are an effective method of promoting cancer screening services in women; however, information on their actual use in a population setting is lacking. Methods. Data were obtained from a population-based, random digit dial telephone survey of 896 adult women living in Wisconsin. Respondents were asked if they had received a reminder letter for Pap or mammography screening within the past year. Results. Among women aged ≥18 years, 12.9% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 10.1–15.6) received a Pap test reminder within the past year, while 13.0% (95% CI = 9.3–16.7) of women aged ≥40 years received a mammography reminder. Women without health care coverage were unlikely to receive either type of reminder. Current compliance with screening recommendations was greater among those women who received a reminder letter for Pap tests (94.3 versus 78.1%, P < 0.0001) and for mammography (81.7 versus 59.4%, P < 0.001). In contrast to the infrequent use of cancer screening reminders, 54.2% (95% CI = 50.1–58.3) and 72.7% (95% CI = 67.6–77.8) of women reported receiving a reminder letter from their dentist or veterinarian, respectively. Conclusions. Reminder letters for cancer screening services were rarely utilized in this study population. Receipt of a reminder letter was associated with greater compliance with current screening recommendations.