Counterproductive Messaging About COVID-19 Safety Measures in Cancer Screening Outreach: Results of a Pragmatic Randomized Trial

Abstract

COVID-19 has caused patients to defer preventive services. We conducted a pragmatic randomized trial of incorporating a message about COVID-19 safety measures into an automated telephonic outreach program targeting primary care patients overdue for cancer screening. Contrary to our hypothesis, the COVID-19 safety measure messaging resulted in significantly fewer patients in the intervention group requesting scheduling of preventive services (135 of 196 patients reached (68.9%)), compared with the standard call script group (165 of 207 patients (79.7%)), (p=0.01). Messages intended to reassure patients about the safety of obtaining in-person preventive services during the coronavirus pandemic may have unintended consequences.