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Mailed Brochure for Colorectal Screening

An Evidence-Based Practice

This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.

Description

This study tested the effectiveness of an informational brochure mailed to patients' homes to combat patient nonadherence to referrals for colorectal cancer screening. Patients participating in the intervention received a brochure in the mail within 10 days of referral for screening colonoscopy. The brochure mentioned their primary care physician by name, and encouraged the patient to schedule a procedure. The brochure included information about colorectal cancer and polyps, lifetime risks factors for colorectal cancer for men and women, the concept of early detection, and how screening may help prevent death. It also described colonoscopy and the risks involved, the nature of bowel preparation for the procedure, and alternative screening tests.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this mailing is to increase colorectal cancer screening completion rates.

Impact

Colonoscopy screening adherence rates in the intervention group of the trial were higher than the rates in the control group.

Results / Accomplishments

The study was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial comparing the intervention group with a usual care group. The overall adherence rates to screening colonoscopy in the intervention group was 11.7 percentage points greater than in the control group (70.7% vs. 59.0%, p = 0.001). Patients over age 65 were 18% more likely to complete the procedure than patients aged 50 to 64 years. Patients with Medicaid or other low-income insurance plans were 60% less likely than those with Medicare to complete a procedure.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Primary Contact
Thomas Denberg, MD, PhD
4200 E. 9th Avenue, B-180
Division of General Internal Medicine
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Denver, CO 80262
(303) 724-1785
tom.denberg@uchsc.edu
Topics
Health / Cancer
Health / Prevention & Safety
Organization(s)
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Source
Annals of Internal Medicine
Date of publication
Mar 2006
Location
Denver, CO
For more details
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00308568
Target Audience
Adults

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Related Content for: Mailed Brochure for Colorectal Screening

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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