False positive results do not have a negative effect on reattendance for subsequent breast screening

Objectives-To find out whether a false positive breast screening result has a negative effect on subsequent screening attendance. Also considered was the proportion of women who had ever failed to reattend for screening, havi ng previously attended routinely. Design-The study was a retrospective cohort design. Setting-Data from the call and recall records of the Central and East Londo n Breast Screening Service (CELBSS) were used. Participants-Women who had been invited to attend for breast screening by t he CELBSS during 1997. Main outcome measures-Subsequent attendance or non-attendance for the next routine breast screen, after a false positive screening result. Results-A substantial number of women failed to reattend for a breast scree n during their screening history, having attended for their previous routin e breast screen. No differences in the rates of reattendance were found bet ween those who had previously received a false positive result and those wh o had not. Conclusion-From the results obtained in the present study it would seem tha t the experience of a false positive breast screen does not deter women fro m reattending in the future. However, many women living in inner city areas who attend for an initial breast screen are failing to attend for subseque nt routine mammograms. This may have a deleterious effect for these women i n terms of the benefits of attendance for regular screening.