Laza-Vásquez, Celmira;
Codern-Bové, Núria;
Cardona-Cardona, Àngels;
Hernández-Leal, Maria José;
Pérez-Lacasta, Maria José;
Carles-Lavila, Misericòrdia;
Rué, Montserrat
Views of health professionals on risk-based breast cancer screening and its implementation in the Spanish National Health System: A qualitative discussion group study
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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Views of health professionals on risk-based breast cancer screening and its implementation in the Spanish National Health System: A qualitative discussion group study
Contributor:
Laza-Vásquez, Celmira;
Codern-Bové, Núria;
Cardona-Cardona, Àngels;
Hernández-Leal, Maria José;
Pérez-Lacasta, Maria José;
Carles-Lavila, Misericòrdia;
Rué, Montserrat
imprint:
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2022
Published in:PLOS ONE
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0263788
ISSN:
1932-6203
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:sec id="sec001">
<jats:title>Background</jats:title>
<jats:p>With the aim of increasing benefits and decreasing harms, risk-based breast cancer screening has been proposed as an alternative to age-based screening. This study explores barriers and facilitators to implementing a risk-based breast cancer screening program from the perspective of health professionals, in the context of a National Health Service.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec id="sec002">
<jats:title>Methods</jats:title>
<jats:p>Socio-constructivist qualitative research carried out in Catalonia (Spain), in the year 2019. Four discussion groups were conducted, with a total of 29 health professionals from primary care, breast cancer screening programs, hospital breast units, epidemiology units, and clinical specialties. A descriptive-interpretive thematic analysis was performed.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec id="sec003">
<jats:title>Results</jats:title>
<jats:p>Identified barriers included resistance to reducing the number of screening exams for low-risk women; resistance to change for health professionals; difficulties in risk communication; lack of conclusive evidence of the benefits of risk-based screening; limited economic resources; and organizational transformation. Facilitators include benefits of risk-based strategies for high and low-risk women; women’s active role in their health care; proximity of women and primary care professionals; experience of health professionals in other screening programs; and greater efficiency of a risk-based screening program. Organizational and administrative changes in the health system, commitment by policy makers, training of health professionals, and educational interventions addressed to the general population will be required.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec id="sec004">
<jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title>
<jats:p>Despite the expressed difficulties, participants supported the implementation of risk-based screening. They highlighted its benefits, especially for women at high risk of breast cancer and those under 50 years of age, and assumed a greater efficiency of the risk-based program compared to the aged-based one. Future studies should assess the efficiency and feasibility of risk-based breast cancer screening for its transfer to clinical practice.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>