Periodic health examinations and the provision of cancer prevention services.
OBJECTIVE
To learn about cancer prevention services in primary care practices and to understand physician factors that affect the provision of these services.


METHODS
Survey of physicians and their patients in 1992.


METHODS
Cooperating physicians (n = 72) of a random selection of community general internist and family physician practices in New Hampshire and Vermont.


METHODS
Patients (n = 2775) of the study physicians for at least 1 year, aged 42 years or older, with no life-threatening threatening illness, who recently visited the physician.


METHODS
Proportion of sample patients per practice provided age- and sex-appropriate cancer prevention services in the previous year.


RESULTS
In this primary care population, a high proportion of patients received appropriate services in 1992. A periodic health examination within the past year was an important predictor for the receipt of many cancer prevention services. Female physicians provided more periodic health examinations than male physicians; internists provided more than family physicians.


CONCLUSIONS
The strongest determinant of receiving preventive services is having a periodic health examination. If clinicians and policymakers decrease emphasis on the periodic health examination as a major opportunity to provide indicated preventive services, they should ensure that a satisfactory alternative strategy is in place.
Sox
C H
CH
Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA.
Dietrich
A J
AJ
Tosteson
T D
TD
Winchell
C W
CW
Labaree
C E
CE
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009513:New Hampshire; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014707:Vermont