An evaluation of educational outreach to general practitioners as part of a statewide cervical screening program.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the acceptability, effectiveness, and cost of a face-to-face educational outreach intervention in the context of a program aimed at increasing cervical screening in Victoria, Australia.


METHODS
All identified general practitioners in a specified intervention area were offered a visit by a general practitioner educator. Practitioners completed a questionnaire evaluating the acceptability of the visit. Odds ratios for a woman being screened in the 3 months following the visits were determined.


RESULTS
Fifty-nine general practitioners (69.4%) accepted the offer of a visit. Most found both the process and the content of the intervention to be acceptable. The intervention and nonintervention regions did not differ either before or after the intervention. In both regions, there was a statistically significant increase in number of Pap tests performed. There was no difference in the change in screening between the two regions. Costs were estimated at Au$34 per general practitioner visited.


CONCLUSIONS
This strategy cannot be recommended for widespread use in a cervical screening program.
Stevens
S A
SA
Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
Cockburn
J
J
Hirst
S
S
Jolley
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014739:Victoria