Do women make an informed choice about participating in breast cancer screening? A survey among women invited for a first mammography screening examination.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the level of informed choice in women invited for breast cancer screening for the first time.

METHODS

To determine the content of decision-relevant knowledge, 16 experts were asked to judge whether each of 51 topics represented essential information to enable informed choices. To assess the level of informed choices, a questionnaire was then sent to all 460 invited women in the south-western part of the Netherlands who turned 50 in August 2008.

RESULTS

Of all 229 respondents, 95% were deemed to have sufficient knowledge as they answered at least 8 out of 13 items correctly. In 90% there was consistency between intention (not) to participate and attitude. As a result, 88% made an informed choice. Sixty-eight percent of women responded correctly on the item of over-diagnosis. Even if all non-respondents were assumed to have no knowledge, 50% of the total group invited to participate still had sufficient knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Women were deemed to have sufficient relevant knowledge of the benefits and harms if they answered at least half of the items correctly.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

To further increase informed choices in breast cancer screening, information on some of the possible harms merits further attention.