Physician Adherence to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Mammography Guidelines

Provider Attitudes and Screening Practices Following Changes in Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

“…There are no other multi-site studies that have examined this question, but our findings that providers do not follow the USPSTF guidelines are consistent with a single-site survey from Pittsburgh. 15,16 More of our respondents were female compared to specialty-specific estimates reported by the Association of American Medical Colleges, but the age distribution was similar. 26 We believe that a response rate of 58 % is quite respectable for a provider survey.…”

“…15 To our knowledge, no studies have examined provider reports of screening practices since the 2012 revision of the cervical cancer guidelines, and no surveys have asked how often patients request screening beyond guideline recommendations. Our findings showed greater concordance with the 2012 cervical guidelines, which recommend less frequent screening, compared to the 2009 breast guidelines.…”

“…20 As in prior studies, most providers in our survey valued multiple guidelines. 20 To date, surveys of the cancer screening practices of primary care providers have focused on physicians; [13][14][15]19 our sample included nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants, who are becoming more central to the provision of primary care as models of team-based care are disseminated. 21 We examined a broader set of practice characteristics and found that providers who practiced in hospital-based settings were less likely to recommend screening in excess of both guidelines.…”

“…Although more recent national data are not available, a 2012 survey of physicians from the University of Pittsburgh found that gynecologists were more likely than internists or family physicians to offer annual versus biennial mammography testing. 15 Many of these providers reported cervical cancer screening practices inconsistent with the 2009 ACOG screening guidelines. 16 Given the ongoing debate about the most appropriate timing of breast and cervical cancer screening, it is important to understand how primary care providers' screening practices have been affected by guideline changes, particularly given the shift in larger health care settings towards more team-based care involving non-physician clinicians.…”

Capsule Commentary on Haas et al., Provider Attitudes and Screening Practices Following Changes in Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

“…3 However, findings for breast screening were consistent with prior surveys of cancer screening practices among primary care providers. 4 Haas et al expanded their sample beyond physicians to include nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants, and theirs is the first study to observe self-reported cervical cancer screening practices in light of the 2012 changes in cervical screening recommendations.…”