THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MAILED PATIENT REMINDERS ON MAMMOGRAPHY SCREENING - A METAANALYSIS

Background: Researchers have tried to increase mammography screening r ates by using patient-oriented reminders. This paper compares the effe ctiveness of mailed patient reminders at increasing mammography screen ing. Methods: Sixteen published articles met the inclusion criteria an d were included in the meta-analysis. To assess the association betwee n reminders and mammography screening, the Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (OK) was calculated. Results: Among U.S. studies in which controls did not receive any type of reminder, women who received reminders were a pproximately 50% more likely to get a mammogram (OR 1.48; chi(MH)(2)(1 ) = 38.27, P < .001). In addition, tailored letters were found to be m ore effective than generic reminders (OR 1.87; chi(MH)(2)(1) = 4.70, P < .05). Combining cost and effectiveness data allowed for estimates o f cost per woman screened, which ranged from $0.96 to $5.88. Conclusio ns: Patient reminders are effective at increasing mammography screenin g. More research is needed to assess (1) the cost-effectiveness of pat ient reminders and (2) their effectiveness across race, education, inc ome, and type of insurance.