General practitioners' perceptions of population based bowel screening and their influence on practice: a qualitative...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• General Practice

Background:

• Australia faces high bowel cancer rates, with low participation in screening programs.
• General Practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in bowel cancer prevention and early detection, yet their engagement is suboptimal.
• Understanding GPs' perceptions is key to optimizing their role in bowel cancer screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how GPs' perceptions of bowel cancer screening influence their attitudes and promotion of the faecal occult blood test (FOBT).
• To identify opportunities for enhancing the role of GPs in bowel cancer screening programs.
• To explore GPs' understanding of population screening versus individual diagnostic approaches.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 31 GPs in New South Wales, Australia.
• Discussions covered GPs' roles, perceptions of screening tests (FOBT, colonoscopy), patient communication, and enhancement opportunities.
• Thematic analysis of interview transcripts using NVivo software.

Main Results:

• GPs' perceptions of screening often differed from public health definitions, focusing on individual risk assessment and diagnosis rather than population prevention.
• The faecal occult blood test (FOBT) was seen as a useful diagnostic aid but raised concerns about reliability.
• Colonoscopy was frequently viewed as the superior method for both screening and diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• GPs' understanding of screening impacts their clinical practice and tool preferences, with a tendency towards individualised diagnosis.
• Highlighting the preventative aspects of FOBT screening could improve uptake.
• Formal engagement of GPs in promoting bowel cancer screening is recommended to enhance participation and outcomes.