title: Can default rates in colposcopy really be reduced?
abstract: A prospective postal questionnaire study aimed to identify variables that predict a woman's intention to attend and her subsequent attendance/default at colposcopy clinics. One thousand two hundred and fifty-eight women attending colposcopy clinics of a university hospital were sent a postal questionnaire 3 weeks before their second appointment at colposcopy. An intention to attend the colposcopy clinic was the most significant predictor for colposcopy attendance during the next 15 months. Smoking and a longer travel time were associated with default. Our study shows that while interventions tried by service providers can reduce default rates, there will remain a cohort of women who do not fully participate in the screening programme.
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Balasubramani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orbell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hagger
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tidy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003127:Colposcopy / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception; D017010:Reminder Systems; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000523:psychology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000523:psychology