Personalized Letter With Cancer Information Service Support or a Standard Reminder Letter in Women Scheduled for Colposcopy After an Abnormal Pap Test

• Patient satisfaction in the 2 interventions [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• CIS experience of patients in arm II and the effect of the intervention on their follow-up colposcopy [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

• Attendance at a follow-up colposcopy appointment within 6 months of their Pap test [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Latency between the Pap test and the colposcopy appointment [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Number of CIS callers who provided the specific codes listed in the intervention letter [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

RATIONALE: Receiving a reminder letter from their doctor with questions to ask the Cancer Information Service may be more effective than a standard reminder letter in helping patients who have had an abnormal Pap test keep their follow-up colposcopy appointment.

PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying a personalized letter with Cancer Information Service support to see how well it works compared with a standard reminder letter in women scheduled for colposcopy after an abnormal Pap test.

OBJECTIVES:

• Compare the effect of a usual care mailing intervention vs a Cancer Information Service (CIS) support mailing intervention on the likelihood that women with an abnormal Pap test will keep their medical follow-up appointments and be satisfied with how they talk to their provider.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 intervention arms.

• Arm I (Usual-care mailing intervention): Patients receive a generic letter reminding them of their follow-up colposcopy appointment.
• Arm II (Cancer Information Service [CIS] support mailing intervention): Patients receive a targeted letter reminding them of their follow-up colposcopy appointment, asking them or someone they designate to call the CIS, and suggesting some questions to ask the CIS about colposcopies and Pap tests.

At their follow-up appointments, all patients undergo an exit interview to compare patient satisfaction between the 2 interventions. Patients in arm II also answer questions about their CIS experience, and if the intervention made their follow-up visit less difficult.

• Other: informational intervention
• Other: questionnaire administration

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Received an abnormal Pap test result
• Scheduled for a colposcopy within 6 months of their Pap test at either the Erie Family Health Center or the Prentice Ambulatory Clinic

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Able to communicate in either English or Spanish
• Clinic staff will review patient charts to determine eligibility

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified