Increasing Screening for Cancer Using EHR-Nudges Replication

Summary

In this study, personalized nudges to clinicians and patients will be evaluated to help increase breast cancer screening rates in accordance with USPSTF guidelines among women with a primary care visit. In partnership with Penn Medicine (Penn) and Case Western Reserve University-University Hospitals (UH), two complementary, concurrent 6-month, cluster randomized, pragmatic trials were conducted from December 2023 to October 2024. This trial will now replicate those interventions at Lancaster General Health (LGH), incorporating learnings from the primary trials while also adapting to align with existing health system protocols and policies. The patient nudge interventions include pre- and post-visit text message reminders to encourage the patient to schedule their mammogram, and the clinician nudge intervention includes a Smart Data Element message in the electronic health record (EHR) reminding the care team that the patient is overdue and that patients are more likely to complete their screening if recommended and ordered by their clinician.

Conditions

• Breast Cancer

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Pre-Visit Patient Text Message

Patients will be sent a text message reminder 1 day prior to their scheduled primary care visit. This message will remind them of their upcoming appointment, highlight that they may be overdue for their mammogram, and encourage them to speak with their provider or schedule now by using the provided online scheduling link or phone number. Patients who do not have a cell phone number listed in the EHR will receive automated voice recording (AVR).

BEHAVIORAL

Post-Visit Patient Text Messages

Patients will be sent text message reminders 4 days and 14 days after their completed primary care visit if they have not yet scheduled or completed their screening mammogram. The message delivered at 4 days post-visit will remind the patient to schedule and that appointments are available for them. The message delivered at 14-days post-visit will again encourage the patient to schedule their mammogram, if one has not already been scheduled or completed. Both messages will include a scheduling phone number and link to self-schedule online. Patients who do not have a cell phone number listed in the EHR will receive automated voice recording (AVR).

BEHAVIORAL

Smart Data Element (SDE)

The clinician-facing Smart Data Element (SDE) in the EHR will be visible to the provider and care team during the visit encounter. The SDE will display as a section in pre-charting, check-in, and rooming and will notify the clinician and care team that a pre-visit communication was sent to the patient regarding scheduling an overdue mammogram and including results from prior work that show that patients are more likely to complete their screening if they receive an order and recommendation from their provider.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Amol Navathe, MD, PhD · University of Pennsylvania

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Max Age

74 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-06-02

Primary Completion

2026-03-02

Completion

2026-06-02

Countries

• United States

Study Locations