None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study is assessing whether a mobile phone SMS prompt will affect how many people choose to complete the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) test among 50 to 60-year-old patients in Victoria. Who is it for? You may be eligible for this study if you are aged between 50 to 60 years, you are eligible to receive the free National Bowel Cancer Screening Program test kit, your GP has agreed to participate in the study and you have access to a smartphone. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The first group will receive a single SMS message sent by their GP's practice one month prior to receiving their NBCSP test kit in the mail. The SMS message will include web links to a number of resources, including a message from their GP endorsing the free home test kit; a link to a narrative video of someone describing their positive experience of doing the test; a link to information about bowel cancer; and an animation showing how to do the test. The second group will not receive a SMS message but will still receive the NBCSP test kit in the mail. Participants in the second group will be able to discuss the test with their GP as part of their usual care. It is hoped this research will determine whether an SMS prompt about completing the NBCSP test kit impacts on the number of people choosing to take up the screening test at home, which could increase early detection of bowel cancer.
Interventions
The intervention is a SMS personalised message from the general practice sent to the patient's smartphone with links to:
1. A message from the general practitioners (GPs) at the general practice (e.g. Hello. xxx
This is a health message from the GPs at xxx Medical Practice.
Your free bowel cancer screening kit will arrive in the post soon.
We strongly encourage you to do this test. If cancer is detected early over 90% of bowel cancers are successfully treated. We recommend that you watch the vid
The intervention is a SMS personalised message from the general practice sent to the patient's smartphone with links to: 1. A message from the general practitioners (GPs) at the general practice (e.g. Hello. xxx This is a health message from the GPs at xxx Medical Practice. Your free bowel cancer screening kit will arrive in the post soon. We strongly encourage you to do this test. If cancer is detected early over 90% of bowel cancers are successfully treated. We recommend that you watch the videos below.) 2. A video of a person talking about their positive experience of doing the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) Immunochemical Faecal Occult Blood Test (IFOBT) test 3. A animated video demonstrating how to complete the test 4. Links to information from Cancer Council Australia The SMS is sent from the general practice one month prior to patients 50th, 52nd, 54th, 56th, 58th and 60th birthdays. The intervention period is six months long, there will be 6 rounds of SMS sent during that time to any active patient due to receive their NBCSP kit. Patients will only receive one SMS. The number of patients due to be sent the SMS will be recorded in PEN CAT4 clinical audit software and the number of SMS sent is recorded on the GoShare Plus platform. Data, the number of patients due to receive the SMS and the number of SMS sent is recorded at the general practice. This data is collected by the project manager.
Sponsors
University of Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
50 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. A general practice located in the Western Victorian Primary Health Network region 2. A general practice that uses electronic medical records compatible with Pen CS CAT4 clinical audit software and the GoShare Plus platform 3. Has at least 2 full time equivalent GPs 4. Has a staff member willing to send out the SMS bundles to patients 5. General practices where GPs are willing for eligible patients aged 50 - 60 years due to receive the NBCSP kit also receive the SMS intervention 6. General practice patients aged 50 -60 years with no previous history of bowel cancer eligible to receive the NBCSP kit.
Exclusion criteria
Patients who will not receive the SMS intervention: 1. Those who do not have a smart phone 2. Those who do not have their mobile phone number recorded at their general practice 3. Those who have opted out of any messaging communication from their general practice 4. Those aged 50 to 60 years who are not eligible to receive a National Bowel Cancer Screening kit during the intervention period.
Outcome results
None listed