title: Mammography status using patient self-reports and computerized radiology database.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to compare self-reported mammography use of low-income women utilizing an inner-city public hospital with a computerized hospital database for tracking mammography use.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of all age-eligible women using the hospital's internal medicine clinic was done; responses were matched with the radiology database. We examined concordance among the two data sources.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Concordance between self-report and the database was high (82%) when using "ever had a mammogram at the hospital," but low (58%) when comparing self-reported last mammogram with the information contained in the database.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Disagreements existed between self-reports and the database. Because we sought to ensure that women would know exactly what a mammogram entailed by including a picture of a woman having a mammogram, it is possible that women's responses were accurate, leading to concerns that discrepancies might be present in the database. Physicians and staff must ensure that they understand the full history of a woman's experience with mammography before recommending for or against the procedure.
authors.affiliation: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. bthompso@fhcrc.org
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mullen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011873:Radiology Information Systems; D014861:Washington