Breast cancer screening in Canada: 2021/2022
Strategies to improve access to screening for rural and remote populations
Rural and remote populations face a variety of barriers in accessing preventative care, including longer travel times, higher costs, and fewer available healthcare resources, and thus may be less likely to access or participate in cancer screening.
Ten provinces and one territory have strategies which they employ to improve access to screening in these populations. Most of the strategies have been co-developed with the community, and many include mobile screening clinics.
Strategies to improve access to screening for rural and remote populations
| P/T | Strategies used | Strategy co-developed with community? | Description of activities to improve screening access for rural and remote populations |
|---|---|---|---|
| NT | · Providing transportation to screening services · Provider reminders and recall systems · Patient navigation · Access to interpreter services |
All: ✓ | · Medical travel coordinated through the community health centres when mammography not offered locally · Recall systems in place at a local level |
| BC | · Mobile mammography vehicles | · Mobile mammography vehicles provide service to rural and remote populations. · BC Cancer Breast Screening promotes these stops through social and traditional media, and digital advertising. |
|
| AB | 1. Education (one on one and group) 2. Client mobile announcement letters 3. Media (small and mass) 4. Provider assessment and feedback 5. Mobile screening clinics 6. Patient navigation |
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ✓ 6. ✓ |
· Facilitated referral and provision of results to navigation program to ensure abnormal screens are followed up in timely manner. · Timed correspondence to mobile schedule. · Pilot nurse practitioner led integrated mobile screening services (mammogram, Pap, and FIT). |
| SK | · Mobile unit | ✓ | · Invitations sent to invite participant to closest screening location. |
| MB | · Comprehensive letter campaigns · Informative web site · Accessibility – 2 mobile clinics, 4 fixed locations · Social media (Facebook) promoting mobile clinics · PCP booking request form for underscreened persons |
All: ✓ | |
| ON | · Mobile screening clinics | ✓ | · Ontario has mobile screening coaches that offer cancer screening services including breast screening in the North West and Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant regions. |
| QC | · Mobile screening clinics · Providing transportation to screening services |
· Mobile screening clinics are transported by plane, train and boat to remote locations. | |
| NB | 1. Direct mailing of program invitation to eligible population 2. Awaiting results of Under-screened Population Project |
1. 2. ✓ |
· Program invitation letters are mailed directly to participant regardless of area of residence. · Plan to incorporate recommendations from the project ‘Developing Strategies for Underscreened Populations through Community Engagement’. |
| NS | · Media (mass) | · The coordinator for the mobile van places radio ads about upcoming mobile breast screening dates and locations. | |
| PE | · Extended program hours | · Appointments available for evening and weekends | |
| NL | · Currently have a working group for the establishment of a satellite breast screening clinic in Happy-Valley Goose Bay (Labrador-Grenfell Health Region) |
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