Trying to improve the compliance to colorectal cancer screening: type of test provider (GP versus hospital) and type of faecal occult blood test (Guaiac versus immunochemical)

Completed

• Conditions: Colorectal cancer; Cancer

• Registration Number: ISRCTN83029072
• Lead Sponsor: Agency for Public Health, Lazio Region, Italy (Agenzia di Sanita Pubblica della Regione Lazio)

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2005-09-09
• Last Update Posted: 13 January 2015

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 7320

Inclusion Criteria

We selected 13 hospitals, out of 20 to participate in the screening programme, in order to represent all types of gastroenterology units (5 university hospitals, 2 large research hospitals, 6 local hospitals) and all geographic areas (7 in the metropolitan area of Rome, 2 in the outskirts of Rome, 4 in towns and small cities of the province). We included in a survey about screening attitudes all the GPs with an office in the 13 selected hospital districts. During the survey, all the GPs were asked to participate in a trial to evaluate the best strategies to enhance the compliance to CRCS. The conditions for eligibility of the GPs were: more than 100 people aged 50?74 in the practice population; a personal computer in the office; and consent to participate.

For each of the 13 districts we sampled 10 eligible GPs. The sampled GPs, primary sampling units, were randomised as follows: for each district, five to the immunochemical test and five to the Guaiac test. We sampled 2/10 of the target practice population for each GP; 1/10 of the population was randomised to the GP arm and 1/10 to the hospital arm.

Exclusion Criteria

We analysed the lists of randomised patients: the second member of a pair with the same telephone number was rejected and substituted, if assigned to a different arm.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Compliance to screening: (number of returned faeces samples)/(total number of invited subjects)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Positivity rate; variability of the positivity rate; rate of inadequate samples; positive predictive value.