Abstract
When detected early, nine in 10 Australians with bowel cancer can be successfully treated, yet participation inthe National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) remains low. The aim of this study was to identify enablers and barriers to bowel cancer screening in rural Tasmanian communities from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs). Qualitative analysis of face-to-face interviews with eight GPs was used to determine factors that influence NBCSP uptake in four rural Tasmanian Local Government Areas. High workloads, competing priorities and not knowing when a patient received an NBCSP kit were identified as barriers to supporting the program, while practice reminder systems were seen to improve the likelihood of GPs recommending the program to patients. GPs are important for improving participation in the NBCSP. Incorporating GPs' views of barriers and enablers for screening is key to improving NBCSP participation in rural Tasmania and Australia more broadly.
Highlights
Background and objectiveWhen detected early, nine in 10 Australians with bowel cancer can be successfully treated, yet participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) remains low
High workloads, competing priorities and not knowing when a patient received an NBCSP kit were identified as barriers to supporting the program, while practice reminder systems were seen to improve the likelihood of general practitioners (GPs) recommending the program to patients
GPs are important for improving participation in the NBCSP
Summary
The aim of this study was to identify enablers and barriers to bowel cancer screening in rural Tasmanian communities from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to identify the enablers and barriers to bowel cancer screening in outer regional and remote Tasmanian communities from the perspective of GPs working in these areas, to develop recommendations for increasing bowel cancer screening rates
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have