Patients' Difficulties with Five Different Fecal Immunochemical Tests.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Patient Experience Research

Background:

• Numerous fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) are available in the US, with both liquid vial and card collection devices.
• Understanding user preferences and collection challenges is crucial for optimizing FIT utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate participant difficulties and preferences regarding different FIT collection devices.
• To determine if FIT collection errors correlate with perceived collection difficulty.
• To identify factors contributing to difficulties encountered during FIT stool sample collection.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involved 2,148 individuals scheduled for colonoscopy, comparing the characteristics of 5 different FITs.
• Participants completed a product questionnaire assessing ease of use and any difficulties encountered during FIT collection.

Main Results:

• A significant majority (61%) preferred liquid vial FITs over card-based devices (9%).
• Liquid vials generally had higher rates of perceived ease of collection (66-70% no difficulty) compared to Hemoccult ICT (49% no difficulty).
• Difficulties included messiness and small collection windows for cards, while liquid vials presented challenges with probing/scraping stool and unclear instructions; perceived difficulty was higher for Hemoccult ICT and associated with FIT errors.

Conclusions:

• Liquid vial FITs are strongly preferred by patients over card-based formats.
• Perceived difficulty in FIT collection is a significant predictor of FIT errors and varies by FIT brand.
• Healthcare providers should prioritize clear patient education on FIT collection to minimize errors.