Abstract
Background. To promote prevention and early detection of cancer, the authors conducted a three‐year intervention targeting Vietnamese physicians in solo practice in California. Methods. Twenty subjects who had received their medical training in Vietnam were recruited into a randomized controlled trial. The intervention included computerized or manual cancer screening reminders, continuing medical education seminars, Vietnamese‐language health education materials, newsletters, and oncology data‐query programs. Evaluation included chart audits for eight targeted activities pre‐ and post‐intervention. Results. Before the intervention, annual physician performance rates were low for all eight activities: routine checkups (65.6%), Pap testing (13.8%), pelvic examinations (19.8%), clinical breast examinations (13.3%), mammography (6.4%), hepatitis B serologies (21.9%), hepatitis B immunizations (12.8%), and smoking cessation counseling (1.6%). After the intervention, performance rates increased significantly for smoking cessation counseling (p = 0.02), Pap testing (p = 0.004), and pelvic examinations (p = 0.01). Conclusions. The results demonstrate the efficacy of an intervention targeting Vietnamese primary care physicians in promoting smoking cessation counseling, Pap testing, and pelvic examinations, but not other cancer prevention activities.