Outreach Approaches to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates

Personalized communication was somewhat effective, but screening rates still were low.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has noted that the most effective screening test “is the one that gets done” (NEJM JW Gen Med Aug 1 2016 and JAMA 2016; 315:2564). In two new studies, researchers examined personalized outreach as a way to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in patients who were not current with CRC screening.

In a study from Texas, 6000 patients were randomized to fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) outreach, colonoscopy outreach, or usual care. Patients in both outreach groups received personalized letters; FIT patients received FIT kits and postage-paid return envelopes, and colonoscopy patients received colonoscopy scheduling assistance. During follow-up of 3 years, 38% of colonoscopy-outreach patients, …

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

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Outreach Approaches to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates

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