Colon Cancer
Conditions
Keywords
colon cancer screening, mail reminders, fecal occult blood test, compliance
Brief summary
The purpose of our randomized controlled trial is to determine whether mailed educational reminders would increase fecal occult blood test (FOBT) card return rates and, therefore, improve patient compliance with colonrectal cancer (CRC) screening. We will conduct a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the hypothesis that compliance to FOBT referrals is at least 10% greater among patients who receive mailed educational reminders on the importance of CRC screening. The study will be conducted in Veteran Affairs Medical Center and surrounding VA clinics in San Diego.
Detailed description
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and women in the United States with an estimated 147,000 new cases and more than 56,000 deaths each year. Early detection of colon cancer and removal of precancerous adenomatous polyps have been shown to reduce its morbidity, mortality and incidence. There are several recommended CRC screening tests, including fecal occult blood test (FOBT), flexible sigmoidoscopy, air-contrast barium enema, and colonoscopy. In the VA, FOBT is the predominant screening test for CRC, however patient compliance is low. Numerous studies have evaluated patient participation in CRC screening programs and FOBT card return rates, all of which have shown patient adherence was suboptimal. To date, there are no studies that have evaluated whether mailed educational reminders can improve FOBT compliance. The purpose of our randomized controlled trial is to determine whether mailed educational reminders would increase FOBT card return rates and, therefore, improve patient compliance with CRC screening.
Interventions
OTHERMailed Educational Reminder
1 page educational reminder that reminds the patient to return their FOBT cards back to the VA laboratory. In addition, it also contains reasons why colon cancer screening is important.
Sponsors
University of California, San Diego
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 100 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* asymptomatic men and women age 50 years or older who received screening FOBT card kits from the laboratory
Exclusion criteria
* are less than 50 years of age * are inpatients * are not undergoing routine colon cancer screening
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Our primary outcome is FOBT card return rate | 6 months |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Predictors of Non-compliance to fecal occult blood testing | 6 months |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed