UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: In Australia, more than 90% of women have had a least one Pap test, but of these nearly one in four has not had a test for at least 2 years (the recommended interval). Personalized letters are one way of reaching these under-screened women, and those women who have never had a test, and encouraging them to attend for screening. This paper will describe a project designed to maximize the effectiveness of a routinely sent letter and a study to determine the benefit of sending personalized letters to un-screened and under-screened women.

Methods: The Victorian Cervical Cytology Registry sends a reminder letter to Victorian women who become overdue for their Pap test. A qualitative study was undertaken to maximize the effectiveness of this letter by determining the most effective way to frame the messages. A second study was aimed at women aged 50-69 who had not been screened for at least three years, if ever. Names of women were obtained from the electoral roll, and matched to VCCR data. Four different versions of the letter were used to encourage these women to present for a test.

Results: The qualitative study resulted in improvements being made to the VCCR reminder letter, and to six different tailored versions being produced. In the second study, six months after receiving a letter, up to 12.2% of the un-screened and under-screened women had a test. The use of personalized letters can be an effective strategy to maximize cervical screening rates.