A Quality Improvement Initiative: Improving Mammogram Screening Rates Among Low-income Hispanic Women in Primary Care

Abstract

BackgroundLow-income women of predominantly Hispanic ethnicity between the ages of 50–74 who receive primary care services in a South Texas region experienced a 12% disparity gap for women completing a screening mammogram in the last 2 years when compared to Hispanic women nationally.ObjectiveThe purpose of this quality improvement (QI) initiative is to design and implement interdisciplinary evidence-based interventions to improve the screening mammogram completion rates in a primary care clinical setting.MethodsFollowing a systematic review and selection of two evidence-based breast cancer risk screening tools, a pre-post intervention was conducted. The Knowledge-to-Action (KTA) framework was used to train staff and providers to implement the screening tools. The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) provided triggers for initiating a screening mammogram.ResultsEvidence-based screenings triggered mammogram initiation resulting in a 7.21% improvement in screening mammogram completion rates over a 3-month time period.Conclusion/Implications for NursingThe outcomes discussed in this report provide guidance for new policy considerations and clinical protocol initiatives along with processes to improve mammogram completion rates.