<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Background. There is now compelling evidence that screening for colorectal cancer may result in significantly reduced mortality. Screening tests for colorectal cancer are not systematically performed in Bulgaria. Aim. This article explores the effect of an educational intervention on the willingness of patients to participate in the screening for colorectal cancer with the immunochemical faecal occult blood test in the home setting. Materials and methods. A before-after design study of the effects of educational intervention comprising distribution of a brochure and one-to-one discussion with a GP. A self-administered, original questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to 600 randomly selected patients in 40 general practices (15 patients per practice) in Plovdiv district. Results. The intervention led to an increase with >20% of the patient’s knowledge of the importance of the test and on how to carry out the test. Statistical analysis indicated that there was an increase in knowledge after the educational intervention about the usefulness of the test (24.8% in males, 18.3% in females) and its performance (22.7% in males, 25.4% in females). Conclusion. The educational intervention has significantly influenced the patient’s awareness about the test’s usefulness and its self-administration. It improved the awareness by providing an easy access to information, thus fostering the active involvement of the patients. A strength of the intervention was the patient-centered approach in providing additional information through one-to-one discussions, and it ensured a higher quality of the preventive screening in the general practice.</abstract>

Background. There is now compelling evidence that screening for colorectal cancer may result in significantly reduced mortality. Screening tests for colorectal cancer are not systematically performed in Bulgaria. Aim. This article explores the effect of an educational intervention on the willingness of patients to participate in the screening for colorectal cancer with the immunochemical faecal occult blood test in the home setting. Materials and methods. A before-after design study of the effects of educational intervention comprising distribution of a brochure and one-to-one discussion with a GP. A self-administered, original questionnaire was administered before and after the intervention to 600 randomly selected patients in 40 general practices (15 patients per practice) in Plovdiv district. Results. The intervention led to an increase with >20% of the patient’s knowledge of the importance of the test and on how to carry out the test. Statistical analysis indicated that there was an increase in knowledge after the educational intervention about the usefulness of the test (24.8% in males, 18.3% in females) and its performance (22.7% in males, 25.4% in females). Conclusion. The educational intervention has significantly influenced the patient’s awareness about the test’s usefulness and its self-administration. It improved the awareness by providing an easy access to information, thus fostering the active involvement of the patients. A strength of the intervention was the patient-centered approach in providing additional information through one-to-one discussions, and it ensured a higher quality of the preventive screening in the general practice.

The Effect of Educational Intervention on The Patient’S Willingness to Carry Out The Immunochemical Faecal Occult Blood Test for Colorectal Cancer / Vpliv Izobraževalnega Ukrepa Na Pacientovo Pripravljenost Za Izvedbo Imunokemičnega Testa Za Določanje Okultne Krvi V Blatu Za Raka Debelega Črevesa In Danke

Medical University of Plovdiv, Healthcare Management, Health Economics and Primary Care, 15a V. Aprilov Blvd., Plovdiv 4002, Bulgaria

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Background. There is now compelling evidence that screening for colorectal cancer may result in significantly reduced mortality. Screening tests for colorectal...

Published Online: Jun 09, 2015

Page range: 230 - 237

Received: Oct 06, 2014

Accepted: Apr 01, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sjph-2015-0032

Keywords
screening, colorectal cancer, immunochemical faecal occult blood test, general practitioner

© National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Published Online: Jun 09, 2015

Page range: 230 - 237

Received: Oct 06, 2014

Accepted: Apr 01, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/sjph-2015-0032

Keywordsscreening, colorectal cancer, immunochemical faecal occult blood test, general practitioner

© National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
screening, colorectal cancer, immunochemical faecal occult blood test, general practitioner