Breast cancer screening for older women with intellectual disability living in community group homes.
Two-thirds of women with ID over 50 in group homes are missing breast-cancer screening—coordinate with GPs and practice nurses to schedule mammograms and teach self-exams.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers asked staff at community group homes about breast-cancer screening for women with intellectual disability over 50. They used a short survey to see how many women did monthly breast self-exams or had been invited for mammograms.
What they found
Only one in three women were checking their own breasts or had received a mammogram letter. Two-thirds were missing both kinds of screening.
How this fits with other research
Mendonca et al. (2013) later showed the same gap across an entire province. Women with IDD were nearly twice as likely to miss cervical screening and 1.5 times more likely to miss mammograms. The big survey proves the 2001 group-home picture is not a fluke.
Son et al. (2013) warns us not to trust what women say. When staff ask, "Has she had a mammogram?" the answer is often wrong. Always check medical records before you assume screening is up to date.
Chicoine et al. (2015) adds a twist. In women with Down syndrome, mammograms found cancer in less than one percent. Low uptake may be bad, but we also need to weigh whether mass screening helps this group at all.
Why it matters
Most older women with ID in your care are not screened. Phone their GP today and schedule mammograms one by one. While you wait for the appointment, teach each woman a simple self-exam during daily routines like shower time. Track the date in her support plan so nothing falls through the cracks.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pull the medical files of every woman over 50 and book any missing mammogram before Friday
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers to affect women. Present health service guidelines call for screening and mammography for all women aged between 50 and 65 years in an effort to increase early detection and improve survival rates. Nulliparity is one of the associated risk factors for breast cancer. Women with intellectual disability (ID) are increasing in longevity and are frequently nulliparous, and therefore, they are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to review the uptake and knowledge of women with ID living in the community of breast screening programmes. A postal survey of women aged > or = 50 years with ID living in community group homes was used to gather data. Only one-third of the women carried out regular breast examination and a similar proportion had received invitations to mammography. General practitioners and practice nurses were currently playing very minor roles in breast screening these women. Primary health care professionals may be missing opportunistic health promotion opportunities and the support services for women with ID living in the community could be provided with better training and resources to improve breast cancer screening in this vulnerable group.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2001 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.2001.00313.x