Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025
06:28
E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
8.5K
Effect of Patient Portal Messaging Before Mailing Fecal Immunochemical Test Kit on Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates:
Gregory Goshgarian1,2, Camille Sorourdi1,3, Folasade P May1,3,4,5
1Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles.
JAMA Network Open
|February 4, 2022
Summary
An electronic primer message significantly increased colorectal cancer (CRC) screening completion rates in a mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach program. This digital reminder improved screening timeliness, enhancing public health initiatives.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Preventive Medicine
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is crucial for reducing mortality, yet screening rates fall short of the 80% national benchmark.
- Mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach programs aim to improve CRC screening but face challenges in patient adherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of an electronic primer message, delivered via a patient portal, in increasing CRC screening completion rates within a mailed FIT program.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical quality improvement trial involved 2339 average-risk patients aged 50-75, assigned to either standard FIT outreach or FIT outreach with an electronic primer.
- The primary outcome was the screening completion rate at 6 months, with secondary outcomes including time to screening and modality completed.
Main Results:
- The intervention group, receiving the electronic primer, showed a significantly higher screening completion rate (37.6%) compared to the control group (32.1%).
- Patients in the intervention group also had a shorter time to screening completion.
- A subanalysis revealed that opening the primer message correlated with a substantial increase in screening completion.
Conclusions:
- Utilizing electronic patient portal primer messages in mailed FIT outreach programs can significantly boost CRC screening rates and expedite completion.
- These findings support the integration of digital reminders into quality improvement strategies for large health systems to enhance cancer screening adherence.
