Effect of appointment scheduling and reminder postcards on adherence to mammography recommendations.

A brief, simple intervention designed to increase the adherence of female patients to their physicians' recommendations for screening mammograms was tested in several midwestern sites. Compared with a control group in which women were examined, told about mammography, and instructed to make an appointment for themselves, an intervention that scheduled appointments for women on the spot and followed up with a reminder postcard increased adherence at every site. Such an intervention, if implemented on a wide scale, would augment the value of screening mammography in controlling breast cancer.