Evaluating a Quality Improvement Program for Cervical Cancer Screening at an Urban Safety Net Clinic.
Health Promot Pract
; 16(5): 631-41, 2015 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26032371
ABSTRACT
This article evaluates a quality improvement program for improving guideline-consistent cervical cancer screening practices in an urban safety net clinic. Quality improvement initiatives that combine policy with practice are particularly timely in light of the alignment of cervical cancer screening guidelines released in 2012 by the most influential national organizations. A descriptive comparison design was employed using the Healthy People 2020 target of 93% screened according to guidelines. Provider-, patient-, and workflow-based strategies included (1) addition of a clinical decision support system, (2) provider educational outreach, (3) patient reminder letters, and (4) development of a clinic procedure manual. Through the application of an established quality measurement tool, three quality indicators were measured screened according to evidence-based guidelines, not screened, and screened more frequently than recommended. Data from the sample (N = 1,032) were collected at baseline and 12 months postimplementation. Each quality indicator category was significant at follow-up. Patients screened according to guidelines nearly doubled while the number of underscreened patients was reduced by nearly half. Similarly, there was a threefold decrease in patients screened more frequently than recommended. Clinical administrators, quality improvement specialists, and health care providers in primary care settings can use the strategies implemented in this study as a starting point for continuous quality improvement initiatives for cervical cancer screening.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Topics:
Atencao_primaria_forma_integrada
Health context:
10_ODS3_salud_sexual_reprodutiva
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
/
Quality Indicators, Health Care
/
Papanicolaou Test
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Evaluation_studies
/
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Screening_studies
Aspects:
Implementation_research
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Health Promot Pract
Year:
2015
Document type:
Article