Pressing the key pad: trial of a novel approach to health promotion advice

Background: A relatively simple procedure, the Pap test, is effective in detecting early changes in the cervix; however, many at-risk women, even in developed countries, do not have regular Pap tests.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial of an interactive voice response (IVR) cervical screening brief advice involving 17,008 households is described. The IVR system automatically made calls to households and explained the nature of the call; selected one eligible woman aged 18-69 years; determined her screening status; delivered a message appropriate to her screening status; offered additional messages to counter common barriers; offered additional information on cervical screening and cancer; offered additional contact numbers; and offered to arrange for someone to call back. Cervical screening rate data were obtained from the Australian Health Insurance Commission (HIC) for 6 months before and following the intervention.

Results: The cervical screening rate was found to have increased by 0.43% in intervention compared to the control postcodes, and the increase was greater for older women at 1.34%.

Conclusions: The overall conclusion was that IVR technology was a feasible means to contact women to deliver brief interventions aimed at increasing cervical screening rates and could economically target at-risk groups. The potential for linking IVR to centralized Pap test Registers to issue Pap test reminders should be explored.