title: [Cancer screening by primary care physicians: a chart audit].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer screening requires identification of individuals at high risk for cancer, mainly through an adequate family history, and documentation of dates and results of past screening examinations. By asking general practitioners (GPs) to audit their charts, we sought to encourage them to enhance chart quality and their involvement in colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chart audit of data on family cancer history and past screening examinations. Volunteer GPs, working in groups, self-audited the completeness of their charts of 20 (10 women, 10 men) consecutive patients not seen for the first time and aged 40-74 years for colorectal, breast and cervix cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 37 GPs participated, analyzing 736 charts. Family history of cancer was documented in half the charts. A fecal occult blood test was mentioned in 51.2%, with a date in 40.2%. Mammograms were mentioned in 62.7% of women's charts, but only 27.9% contained complete information (family history, date and result of mammogram documented). Similarly, 44.2% of women's charts mentioned pap smears but only 25.9% contained complete information. The rates of complete charts ranged from 0 to 100% and varied with cancer and GP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality of charts in primary care is globally poor but very heterogeneous, ranging from bad to excellent according to GP. The collection of updated information on family history and past screening examinations must be improved in primary care.
authors.affiliation: Association pour le dépistage du cancer colorectal dans le Haut-Rhin, Colmar (68). bernard.denis@ch-colmar.rss.fr
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schon
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruetsch
authors.forename: Jean-Christian
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Grall
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lévêque
authors.forename: Jean-Martin
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tschiember
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perrin
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008485:Medical Audit; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology