scholarly journals The West Midlands breast cancer screening status algorithm – methodology and use as an audit tool

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gill Lawrence ◽  
Olive Kearins ◽  
Emma O'Sullivan ◽  
Nancy Tappenden ◽  
Matthew Wallis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Breast Screening ◽  
Screening Programme ◽  
Breast Cancers ◽  
Audit Tool ◽  
The West ◽  
Breast Screening Programme ◽  
Multiple Primaries ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Malignant Breast

Objectives: To illustrate the ability of the West Midlands breast screening status algorithm to assign a screening status to women with malignant breast cancer, and its uses as a quality assurance and audit tool. Methods: Breast cancers diagnosed between the introduction of the National Health Service [NHS] Breast Screening Programme and 31 March 2001 were obtained from the West Midlands Cancer Intelligence Unit (WMCIU). Screen-detected tumours were identified via breast screening units, and the remaining cancers were assigned to one of eight screening status categories. Multiple primaries and recurrences were excluded. Results: A screening status was assigned to 14,680 women (96% of the cohort examined), 110 cancers were not registered at the WMCIU and the cohort included 120 screen-detected recurrences. Conclusions: The West Midlands breast screening status algorithm is a robust simple tool which can be used to derive data to evaluate the efficacy and impact of the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Slippage in the NHS breast screening programme: an assessment of whether a three year screening round is being achieved

1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Faux ◽  
G M Lawrence ◽  
M E Wheaton ◽  
M G Wallis ◽  
C L Jeffery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Detection ◽  
Breast Screening ◽  
Screening Programme ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Breast Cancer Mortality ◽  
The West ◽  
Breast Screening Programme ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Quality Assurance Measure ◽  
High Standards

Background The NHS breast screening programme (NHSBSP) was established in 1987 to screen women aged 50–64 every three years to achieve a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality. Ensuring that women are re-invited every three years (that is, a three year screening round is in operation) is becoming increasingly difficult as pressure on the service rises. Coverage measures the proportion of eligible women receiving a screen in the previous three years and is currently used as an NHS performance indicator, while uptake measures the proportion of invited women who attend for screening. Data for 1996/1997 for the West Midlands NHSBSP show that, although uptake among 50–64 year olds was in excess of the 70% target at 78%, coverage was 10% below this at 68%. The discrepancy between coverage and uptake is likely to in part reflect “round slippage” in which women are re-invited at three years or more from their previous screen. To investigate the extent to which slippage is occurring in the region a technique for assessing round length independently of coverage was developed. Methods Records for women receiving routine recall (incident) screens between 1994 and 1997 in the West Midlands NHSBSP were examined and the time between the most recent screen and the previous screen measured in months. Findings Of 73 785 women screened in 1996/1997, 46.3% had a round length of under three years, although 74.9% had been re-screened within 38 months of the previous screen. Overall the regional programme was estimated to have a round slippage of approximately two months. Conclusions The West Midlands NHSBSP operates to high standards in terms of uptake and cancer detection, but round slippage must be reduced. The lack of quantitative data with which to assess round length has hindered assessment in the past. The simple technique developed in this study will allow assessment of round length to be used routinely as the key quality assurance measure for the programme.

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