Rates of screening colonoscopy are not increased when women are offered a female endoscopist in a health promotion outreach program.
BACKGROUND
In surveys, almost 50% of women prefer a female endoscopist (FE) to perform their screening colonoscopies (SCOs).


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether offering women an FE is associated with higher rates of SCOs.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
University of Colorado Hospital primary care clinics.


METHODS
Women of ages 50 to 69 years eligible for an SCO.


METHODS
SCO offers through mail and telephone outreach, with and without an explicit FE option.


METHODS
Outreach intervention differences in SCO completion rates and percentages of women requesting FE.


RESULTS
Of 396 women, 72 (18.2%) underwent SCO without difference by type of invitation. Women who received an FE invitation were more likely to request an FE than patients who received no invitation (44.2% and 4.8%, respectively, P < .001), but women who requested an FE were not more likely to undergo an SCO than those who did not.


CONCLUSIONS
SCO was offered through an outreach program rather than through in-clinic referrals. The study used a nonrandomized trial comparison group.


CONCLUSIONS
Women offered an FE were not more likely to undergo an SCO than those who were not. This study is unique in describing outcomes associated with actual offers of an FE at the time of scheduling. More direct evidence is needed to support the notion that the absence of FEs is an important barrier to colorectal cancer screening among women.
Denberg
Thomas D
TD
Quality and Safety, Harvard Vanguard/Atrius Health, Newton, Massachusetts 02466-2272, USA. tom_denberg@atriushealth.org
Kraus
Hanna
H
Soenksen
Alyssa
A
Mizrahi
Trina
T
Shields
Laura
L
Lin
Chen-Tan
CT
D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003120:Colorado; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D057240:Patient Preference; D012737:Sex Factors