Paper Title
The Effect of Physician-Patient Communication Skills on Repeat Mammography Behavior Among Iranian Women

Abstract
Background:- Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease in women; it is also the most common cause of death from cancer in women worldwide. Given the important role of physicians’ recommendation“ in women’s decision to undergo mammography”, this study assessed the influence of physician-patient communication skills on the number of repeat mammography. Methods:- In this cross-sectional analytical study, 375 women aged 50 years and older who referred to a mammography clinic in Sanandaj, Iran were selected via convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data on participants’ demographics and physician-patient communication skills. Results:- Considering the rate of repeat mammography, it was repeated once in 157 (42%),twice in 128 (34%),three times in 60 (16%), and four times and more in 30 patients (8%) of women. The physician-patient communication skills was identified as a predictor of repeat mammography (p =0.01- 0.001). Conclusions:- Given the impact of physician-patient communication skills on repeat mammography, it is important to hold training courses for physicians to improve physician-patient relations and increase women's awareness to repeat mammogram in terms of age-appropriate of time intervals. Keywords - Communication skills, repeat mammography, Iranian women