Self-reported cancer screening rates versus medical record documentation: incongruence, specificity, and sensitivity for African American women.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate levels of incongruence, specificity, and sensitivity between self-reported screening and medical record documentation for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening.


METHODS
Descriptive, quantitative.


METHODS
Federally qualified health centers in the southeastern United States.


METHODS
116 African American women. The mean age was 35 years, and the mean educational level was 12.6 years.


METHODS
Women were eligible to participate in the study if they were older than age 18 and able to understand English or Spanish. They were recruited from the waiting areas of health centers over a consecutive five-day period.


METHODS
Self-reported rates of screening and screening rates documented in the medical record.


RESULTS
The level of incongruence between self-report and medical record documentation was more than 50% for some procedures. Rates of specificity were high, particularly over time. Rates of sensitivity were 33% or less.


CONCLUSIONS
The women tended to overreport screenings in the past year when compared to medical records. The women and medical records indicated that the screenings had not been performed in the past two to five years or more than five years ago.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses are in a unique position to educate women about cancer screening in a culturally and educationally appropriate way while ensuring that those conversations and procedures are documented in the medical record by all providers.
Powe
Barbara D
BD
Behavioral Research Center at American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA. barbara.powe@cancer.org
Cooper
Dexter L
DL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D009780:Occult Blood; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015144:Southeastern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data