Results: Patients who perceived their physicians to be enthusiastic (at any level) in their discussions of
mammography or fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) were significantly more likely to report a recent test
than patients who reported no discussions.
Conclusion: Physician discussions of cancer screening are important and effective even when, as in the
case of mammography, screening rates are already high, or, as in the case of FOBT, rates have tended to
remain low. The value of communication about screening should be taught and promoted to primary care
physicians who serve as gatekeepers to screening