Impact of patient-physician communication on cervical cancer screening among women aged 25–65

Abstract

Introduction

Effective patient-physician communication is essential for the uptake of preventive services. This study examined the association between patient-physician communication index and being up-to-date with cervical cancer screening.

Methods

The analysis used self-reported data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, Cycle 4 (2020), and Cycle 6 (2022). The outcome variable was “Up-to-date with cervical cancer Screening.” Logistic regression and Cronbach’s Alpha were used to measure the association and internal consistency between communication items.

Results

A total of 3207 women aged 25–65 were included in the analysis, 2415 (77.5 %) were up-to-date with screenings, with 50.9 % having a patient-physician communication index of 17 or higher. In model 0, participants with a patient-physician communication index of ≥ 17 had 1.57 times higher odds (95 % CI: 1.23–2.00) of being up-to-date with their screening. In model 1, the individual communication items were not significantly associated with screening. In model 2, a patient-physician communication index of 17 or higher was associated with screening (aOR:1.62, 95 % CI: 1.20–2.19). Having health insurance (aOR:1.87, 95 % CI: 1.11–3.17) was significantly associated with screening. Non-Hispanic Blacks (aOR:1.77, 95 % CI: 1.10–2.85) and Hispanics (aOR:1.64, 95 % CI: 1.02–2.64) had higher odds of screening than non-Hispanic Whites.

Conclusion

This study found a significant relationship between a high patient-physician communication index and cervical cancer screening. The study findings highlight the critical role of effective patient-physician communication in improving adherence to cervical screening recommendations across the U.S.