Medical records as an alternative to self-report for measuring mammography utilization

A pilot study assessed whether medical records were a viable alternative to self-report for measuring mammography use in a population- based sample. Of 98 women contacted by telephone, 62 (63.3%) ultimately provided written consent to obtain their mammogram reports. Although all physicians complied with requests for records, an average of three physician contacts per woman were required and 87 percent of mammogram reports were located; therefore, records were available for only 56 percent of women contacted initially. This, coupled with the effort associated with obtaining the records, does not support the use of medical records as an alternative to self-report to measure mammography utilization in the general population.