Colorectal Cancer Screening in Ghana: Physicians' Practices and Perceived Barriers

Ghana has seen a rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) over the past decade. In 2011, the Ghana National Cancer Steering Committee created a guideline recommending fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) for CRC screening in individuals over the age of 50. There is limited data available on current Ghanaian CRC screening trends and adherence to the established guidelines.

We conducted a survey of 39 physicians working at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. The survey evaluates physician knowledge, practice patterns, and perceived personal-, patient- and system-level barriers pertaining to CRC screening.

Almost 10% of physicians would not recommend colorectal cancer screening for asymptomatic, average risk patients who met the age inclusion criteria set forth in the national guidelines. Only 1 physician would recommend FOBT as an initial screening test for CRC. The top reasons for not recommending CRC screening with FOBT were the lack of equipment/facilities for the test (28.1%) and lack of training (18.8%). The two most commonly identified barriers to screening identified by >85% of physicians, were lack of awareness of screening/not perceiving colorectal cancer as a serious health threat (patient-level) and high screening costs/lack of insurance coverage (system-level).

Despite creation of national guidelines for CRC screening, there has been low uptake and implementation. This is due to several barriers at the physician-, patient- and system-levels including lack of resources and physician training to follow-up on positive screening results, limited monetary support and substantial gaps in knowledge at the patient level.