Cancer Screening Utilization Rates and Cancer Screening Perspectives of Hospitalized Women

Breast and colon cancers are commonly diagnosed cancers among women after skin cancer in Maryland. Patients' preferences for cancer screening are known to significantly influence utilization, and thus impact health outcomes. In a recent study the investigators conducted at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, the investigators observed that among women age 50-75 years admitted to general medicine services over 4-month period, 40% were non-adherent to breast cancer screening (overdue) despite being insured. Therefore, the investigators propose to establish a cohort of hospitalized women to help the investigators develop successful interventions for enhancing breast cancer screening utilization in this group. In following a cohort prospectively, the investigators intend to both reaffirm the results from the investigators' previous study and determine whether the patterns of mammographic screening improve over time as a result of the investigators' interventions. Among non-adherent (overdue) women, the investigators will educate and encourage these women to undergo outpatient screening mammography. To more comprehensively assess the preventive health in this cohort, the investigators will assess the cohort's adherence to colon cancer screening recommendation and barriers to colon cancer screening. In addition the investigators will also like to encourage the hospitalists and house staff taking care of these patients to perform oral cancer screen among women who smoke (non-adherent to breast cancer screening) Finally the investigators will also like to ask the perspective of cancer screening among these women.