Information leaflets in medical screening

breast cancer. 5 Some medical screening is so non-specific that it is described in terms of the technology used rather than the disorder that is being screened for (e.g. ultrasound screening in pregnancy), and usually little or no information on benefit is provided in these cases. Most people who participate in a screening programme take its value on trust and expect to be given the 'all clear'. Unfortunately, a screen negative result in most screening programmes does not rule out the disorder being screened for, and this should be made clear. Information leaflets are best produced locally. The variation in style and content is helpful. Professionals can learn from each other by comparing leaflets and then revising their own if necessary. Variation should therefore not be regarded as a disadvantage. The leaflet should give a dedicated telephone number so that people can speak to a member of the screening team who is able to answer questions confidently and accurately, and who is familiar with the details of the local service. The process of producing an information leaflet on a screening programme helps to clarify the specification of the programme and what can be expected from it both procedurally and in terms of health outcomes. This helps to engage members of a particular screening team in the process - an educational benefit in itself. The understanding this fosters encourages confidence and a sense of ownership in the programme. This improves its quality and its appreciation by those who participate in the programme. A checklist of what needs to be considered in assessing the value of a screening test has been published. 6 This sets out what needs to be known before a screening test is introduced, but it may also be useful in drafting what the public need to know once it has been introduced. The leaflet should provide information that individuals who are considering whether they wish to be screened need to know, so that they can make a fair decision. Providing details on what they want to know is necessary but secondary. The leaflet should be quantitative and precise rather than general (e.g. 'one in six', not 'some'). The text should be clear (easier said than done!) and simple, but not too simple. The following six items are probably needed in most leaflets on screening: