An educational approach to improving physician breast cancer screening practices and counseling skills

A multifaceted, individualized, physician education program designed to increase the breast cancer screening practices of community-based primary care physicians is described and the results are evaluated. Community-based surveys identified primary care providers with breast cancer screening educational needs who were assigned, using a factorial design, to an intervention or control condition. The sample included 154 control and 128 intervention physicians. The intervention consisted of a 1-2 h in-office training program and/or self-study workbook. Self-reported overall breast cancer screening need scores improved for a greater proportion of intervention than control physicians, particularly those receiving the in-office intervention (P = 0.03). Clinical breast examination (CBE) need declined (P = 0.01); use of provider reminder systems increased (P = 0.02); preparedness to counsel about CBE (P = 0.04) and recognition that age is an important risk factor for breast cancer (P = 0.02) improved in more intervention compared to control physicians.