Does improving communication and information for women increase attendance at colposcopy in an inner city clinic? A randomised controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To establish whether information leaflets and appointment reminders improve attendance for diagnostic colposcopy.


METHODS
Randomised controlled trial in an inner city colposcopy clinic.


METHODS
500 women newly referred to the colposcopy clinic with abnormal cervical screening smear results were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group using computer-generated numbers.


METHODS
233 women referred for colpoposcopy were sent a comprehensive information leaflet with their appointment details and additionally were sent reminder letters regarding their appointment 7-10 days prior to their appointment date.


METHODS
267 women were sent the standard basic information prior to their appointment.


METHODS
Attendance and default rates for diagnostic colposcopy.


RESULTS
Default in the intervention arm was 42 out of 233 (18%) compared with 93 out of 267 (35%) in the control arm.


CONCLUSIONS
Improved communication and information in the form of a detailed leaflet and a reminder letter for women with a recently abnormal smear result increased attendance for initial colposcopy assessment.
Tomlinson
A
A
Department Gynaecology-Obstetrics, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, UK.
Kyrgiou
M
M
Paraskevaidis
E
E
Kitchener
H
H
Martin-Hirsch
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003127:Colposcopy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003142:Communication; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D006113:United Kingdom; D014505:Urban Population; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*