Australian Screening Mammography Decision Aid Trial (ASMDAT)

The purpose of the study is to develop and evaluate a decision aid to assist women aged 70 years and over to make an informed choice about whether to continue screening mammography, as part of the monitoring and evaluation program of BreastScreen NSW. Women who are due their FIRST screening mammogram over the age of 70 will be randomly allocated into one of two groups, to receive either (a) Decision Aid -a paper based workbook and personal worksheet containing balanced information on the outcomes of screening mammography for women aged 70 years and older, steps to decision making and a values clarification exercise, or (b) standard BreastScreen NSW information material. Three weeks later, women in both groups will be followed up to find out if those who received the decision aid had better knowledge and more realistic expectations of the potential benefits and harms involved in screening mammography, and reduced decisional conflict about whether or not to continue screening mammograms. The impact of the decision aid on rates of participation in screening mammography among women aged 70 years and older will be followed up after three months.