Can you use a sequential sample of patients as a substitute for a full practice audit?: Study of mammography screening rates in 20 family practices in Ontario.
OBJECTIVE
To compare rates of mammography screening among women in family practices, based on a sequential sample of eligible women presenting to the practices during an 8-week period, with rates found in a full audit of all eligible patients.


METHODS
Chart review.


METHODS
Twenty community-based family practices in south-central Ontario.


METHODS
Family physicians and their female patients 52 to 71 years old who had had at least 1 visit to the office during the past 3 years.


METHODS
Eligible patients were sampled by 2 approaches: sequential sampling of patients coming for appointments during an 8-week period and a full practice audit of all eligible women.


METHODS
Mammography rates found using the 2 approaches.


RESULTS
The mean time-appropriate rate of mammography screening based on the sequential sample was 66.4%. The mean time-appropriate rate of mammography screening for the full practice audit was 58.8%. The sequential sample rate was higher than that of the full audit by 7.6%; differences ranged from -6.5% to 24.9% among practices. Regression analysis indicated a positive and significant correlation between rates based on the data generated by the 2 different approaches (r2 = 0.50).


CONCLUSIONS
A rate of mammography screening based on a sequential sample can reasonably approximate the actual rate of mammography screening that would be found based on a full practice audit.
Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont. swansong@mcmaster.ca
Graham
G
Swanson
Janusz
J
Kaczorowski
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008485:Medical Audit / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario; D010816:Physician Incentive Plans; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires