Influence of nurses on compliance with breast screening recommendations in an organized breast screening program.

BACKGROUND Evidence from breast screening trials has shown that a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality from screening can be achieved by regular attendance. Few studies have evaluated the influence of nurses on compliance with breast screening recommendations. METHODS The cohort included 157,788 women ages 50 to 69 years who were screened at 1 of 9 regional cancer centers or 57 affiliated centers with nurses or 26 affiliated centers without nurses between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2002, within the Ontario Breast Screening Program. These women were followed up prospectively for at least 30 months to compare compliance for annual and biennial screening recommendations among women who attended centers with and without nurses. The associations between type of screening center and the odds of compliance were modeled using mixed-effect logistic regression models. All P values are two-sided. RESULTS Women attending a regional cancer center [odds ratios (OR), 1.96; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.07-3.58] or affiliated center with nurses (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.38-2.22) were significantly more likely to return within 18 months of their annual screening recommendation than women attending affiliated centers without nurses. In addition, women attending regional cancer centers (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.34-3.89) or affiliated centers with nurses (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.86-2.83) were significantly more likely to make a timely return within the recommended biennial screening interval of between 18 and 30 months. CONCLUSIONS Breast screening programs should consider methods of integrating educational activities as provided by the nurses to improve compliance with screening.