Receiving a sample collection kit by mail helped people who were behind on cervical cancer screening take part in this regular checkup.
A clinical trial assessed whether mailing kits to take a cell sample from the vagina at home could boost turnout for cervical cancer screening. Participants belonged to a safety net health system — which offers care no matter whether patients can pay — and were overdue for screening. At six months, more than twice as many people, 44 percent, who received the kit had been screened versus those who only got a reminder to come in person, researchers report June 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine.