title: Effectiveness of timed and non-timed second appointments in improving uptake in breast cancer screening.
abstract: To estimate the effect on breast screening uptake of delayed, targeted, second timed appointments in women who did not take up an initial breast cancer screening appointment offer.
  
  
  
  Non-attending women received a four-month delayed second timed appointment following non-response to the initial invitation and the normal open invitation sent to non-attenders. A comparison group was sent a four-month delayed additional open invitation.
  
  
  
  Response to the second timed appointments (percentage of re-invited women eventually attending in this episode) was 20%, corresponding to an estimated increase on total uptake of 6%. Response was highest in women who had previously attended screens. Response in the women offered an additional delayed open invitation was 7.5%, corresponding to an estimated 2.3% increase in overall uptake.
  
  
  
  Second timed appointments were almost three times as effective as additional open invitation. They should be targeted at women most likely to attend. A randomized study of second timed appointments versus open invitations should be conducted.
authors.affiliation: Peel and Schriek Consulting Limited, UK.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Services, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Luton, UK.
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brazil
authors.affiliation: North London Breast Screening Service, London, UK.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Teh
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK j.myles@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Myles
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017010:Reminder Systems; D013222:State Medicine
keywords: Breast cancer screening; non-attendance; second timed appointments