The communication of benign biopsy results in breast cancer screening - Introduction: current and background Siân Williamson University of Warwick @SianDoesScience

The NHS Breast Screening Programme Early detection at a population level Triennial invitation: women 50-70 years old Mammogram Diagnostic tests – core needle biopsy What the screening programme is How the process works: triennial invitation, mammogram (what a mammo is) then recall for further tests (what these are) MDT

Most are given the all clear Some are recalled Benign result Cancer is found Most are given the all clear Some are recalled Of the 41 called back… Every time 1,000 women are screened… 41 959 8 33 Benign (means no cancer e.g. false positive). Use diagram to explain. 63,000 women were given FPs last year.

Communication of results Telephone results Gold-standard = face to face Current practice Policy identified as key area: why. Unpublished survey of all screening centres: current practice. 17.1% of the centres never deliver results over the telephone. However, 42% of centres occasionally deliver benign results over the telephone and 40.7% of centres deliver them routinely. This means that 82.7% of centres are delivering benign biopsy results over the telephone, despite current best practice guidelines. GAP between practice and policy

Patient outcomes Anxiety Up to 3 years Understanding Need for reassurance Preferences Convenience Cost Speed However, very little research has focused on the impact that the method of communication itself may have at an individual level. So what do we know so far about patient outcomes in screening? Benign results cause anxiety. Some women misunderstand their benign results. What do women themselves prefer?

Aim To explore patient anxiety, understanding of results and communication preferences in relation to telephone and face-t0-face delivery. The results will be used to inform NHS Breast Screening Programme policy and best practice guidelines. Aim The aim of this project is to explore patient understanding, anxiety and preferences in relation to different communication methods in the delivery of benign biopsy results. The results of this study will be used to inform policy for the NHS Breast Screening Programme, making a recommendation about benign biopsy results should be delivered.

4. Qualitative telephone interviews Proposed method 1. Systematic review 1. Centre survey What is the current communication practice for delivering results in UK Breast Screening centres? 2. Time 1: assessment clinic survey Communication preferences Baseline anxiety score Demographic information 4. Qualitative telephone interviews What factors are involved in forming communication preferences? 5. Time 3 & 4: Three month/six month follow-up survey Anxiety score 3. Time 2: after results survey Method of communication received Length of time since results Understanding score Talk through method

Siân Williamson University of Warwick @SianDoesScience Thanks for your time.