Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women residing in the United States. Early detection through mammogram screening can decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. For women with diabetes, however, incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer are increased.
Methods: This was a retrospective examination, identifying orders and completion of mammogram among patients with and without diabetes, 2015 to 2019, through the electronic health record. Diabetes and other factors were identified as possible predictors of completion.
Results: Of the 16,688 patients who were included in this study, only 54.5% successfully completed mammography orders prescribed by their primary care physician. The 40 to 49 age group had the highest order completion rate at 57.6%. The prevalence of diabetes in this sample was 21.3%. Overall, 51.6% of patients with diabetes completed mammogram orders compared with 55.3% of patients without diabetes.
Discussion: Patients with diabetes were significantly less likely to complete mammogram screenings (51.6%) compared with patients without diabetes (55.3%), despite there being an increased incidence of breast cancer among patients with diabetes. Factors such as the lack of access to treatment centers, affordability, patient education, among others may have contributed to low completion rates.
Keywords: Access to Health Care; Breast Cancer; Diabetes; Family Medicine; Health Care Disparities; Mammography; Outcomes Research; Patient Compliance; Primary Health Care; Screening.
© Copyright 2022 by the American Board of Family Medicine.