Socioeconomic disparity trends in cancer screening among women after introduction of national quality indicators

PURPOSE Primary care physicians have an important role in encouraging adequate cancer screening. Disparities in cancer screening by socioeconomic status (SES) may affect presentation stage and cancer survival. This study aimed to examine whether breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screening rates in women differed by SES and age, and whether screening rates and SES disparities changed after introduction of a primary care–based national quality indicator program. METHODS This repeated cross-sectional study spanning 2002-2017 included all female Israeli residents in age ranges appropriate for each cancer screening assessed. SES was measured both as an individual-level variable based on exemption from copayments and as an area-level variable using census data. RESULTS In 2017, the most recent year in the study period, screening rates among 1,529,233 women were highest for breast cancer (70.5%), followed by colorectal cancer (64.3%) and cervical cancer (49.6%). Women in the highest area-level SES were more likely to undergo cervical cancer screening compared with those in the lowest (odds ratio = 3.56; 99.9% CI, 3.47-3.65). Temporal trends showed that after introduction of quality indicators for breast and colorectal cancer screening in 2004 and 2005, respectively, rates of screening for these cancers increased, with greater reductions in disparities for the former. The quality indicator for cervical cancer screening was introduced in 2015, and no substantial changes have occurred yet for this screening. CONCLUSIONS We found increased uptake and reduced socioeconomic disparities after introduction of cancer screening indicators. Recent introduction of a cervical cancer screening indicator may increase participation and reduce disparities, as has occurred for breast and colorectal cancer screening. These findings related to Israel’s quality indicators program highlight the importance of primary care clinicians in increasing cancer screening rates to improve outcomes and reduce disparities.