None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to test a primary care intervention that is designed to improve self-management of risk factors related to bowel, cervical and breast cancer among primary care patients. Who is it for? Patients may be eligible to join this study if they are aged at least 18 years, are presenting for a general practice appointment, and have been identified via a brief baseline assessment as being a smoker, consuming alcohol at risky levels, or have not been screened as per Australian recommended guidelines for bowel, cervical or breast cancer. Study details The study will take place in the waiting rooms of general practices, with participants randomly allocated to one of two groups based on the specific day they attend the practice. All consenting patients will complete a touchscreen survey focussing on the patient's previous participation in cancer screening activities (bowel, cervical, breast), smoking status, alcohol consumption, and depression. While depression is not a cancer risk factor; it may co-occur with other risk factors and impede self-management efforts to reduce modifiable risk factors. Patients from one group will receive printed feedback about their identified health risk factors, along with information about self-management actions for addressing these risks. Participants in the other group will not receive information about their identified health risks or self-management strategies. Eligible patients who complete the baseline survey will undergo a follow-up telephone survey after 1 month to assess how many self-management actions they may have undertaken in relation to any health risk factors identified at baseline. It is hoped that this primary care intervention will be an effective way to increase the proportion of patients who undertake self management actions related to their identified health risks.
Interventions
Eligible general practice patients will complete a brief (approximately 5 to 10 minutes) touchscreen computer survey on a tablet device while in the waiting room prior to their appointment. The survey will assess the patient's potential health risks related to under-screening for bowel cancer, cervical (women only) and breast cancer (women only), smoking, risky alcohol consumption and depression. For intervention participants, preferences for help with identified health risks will be elicited a
Eligible general practice patients will complete a brief (approximately 5 to 10 minutes) touchscreen computer survey on a tablet device while in the waiting room prior to their appointment. The survey will assess the patient's potential health risks related to under-screening for bowel cancer, cervical (women only) and breast cancer (women only), smoking, risky alcohol consumption and depression. For intervention participants, preferences for help with identified health risks will be elicited as part of the survey. Upon completion of the survey, intervention participants will receive printed feedback on health risks identified from their survey along with recommended self-management actions as endorsed by a range of Australian Government-supported organisations aimed at promoting health in these areas. Participants who report being under-screened for cancer (bowel, breast, cervical) will be encouraged to discuss screening options with their doctor. Participants identified as smokers will be presented with self-management options such as referral to Quitline (a telephone-based smoking cessation intervention), talking to their doctor, and nicotine replacement therapy etc. Participants identified as drinking above recommended levels will be presented with options for reducing alcohol intake such as choosing alcoholic drinks with lower alcohol content, and discussing approaches with their doctor etc. Participants who report depressed mood will be presented with options such as attending counselling, contacting Beyondblue (a telephone-based emotional support service), and discussing with their GP etc. The printed feedback will be given to patients in an envelope by a research assistant immediately after completion of the baseline survey in the primary care clinic. This feedback will be tailored to reflect the patient's identified health risks as assessed by the survey. The research assistant will not provide any medical advice on identified health risks or self-management actions.
Sponsors
University of Newcastle
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Patients aged at least 18 years of age who are presenting to the general practitioner for an appointment, English speaking, who are able to provide informed consent and have at least one health risk factor identified at baseline.
Exclusion criteria
Patients less than 18 years old. Patients who are considered too unwell to participate by practice staff. Patients that are unable to complete the touchscreen survey on their own (e.g. vision-impaired, non-English speaking).
Outcome results
None listed