A feasibility study of patient navigation in Bowel Scope Screening

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Using Specialist Screening Practitioners (SSPs) to increase uptake of the Bowel Scope Screening Programme: a feasibility study of patient navigation within the South of Tyne Screening Centre

• IRAS ID

  164214

• Contact name

  Christian von Wagner

• Contact email

  c.wagner@ucl.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University College London

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 5 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  Bowel cancer prevention and early diagnosis is an NHS priority. Bowel Scope Screening (BSS) has recently been introduced to the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in an attempt to reduce future bowel cancer incidence. BSS involves a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (FS), a procedure that can prevent bowel cancer by finding and removing growths in the bowel before they turn into cancer. BSS is currently offered as a one-off test to men and women aged 55 years. However, the success of any screening programme is dependent on uptake. A recent pathfinder programme of BSS in England found uptake to be as low as 28%.
  Patient navigation (PN) is an intervention that offers individual support to patients to help them overcome their barriers to screening. In this study, PN will involve Specialist Screening Practitioners (SSPs) from the South of Tyne Screening Centre calling people who either fail to confirm or attend their BSS appointment. SSPs will encourage discussion of the individual’s barriers to screening attendance and will offer suitable solutions and support. SSPs will be trained to communicate the aims, benefits and risks of BSS, to ensure that people make an informed choice about whether participation is right for them. To assess whether PN is feasible in increasing the uptake of BSS, non-attenders will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: usual care or usual care with PN. We will monitor the number of people who participate in BSS after PN and the patient experience of this service. We will also conduct qualitative interviews with SSPs to evaluate the impact that PN has on their workload. A feasibility study is very important in this context because non-attenders are difficult to involve in research studies. If PN is effective and acceptable, we will apply for funding for a larger, multi-centre trial.

• REC name

  London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/LO/2308

• Date of REC Opinion

  31 Dec 2014

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion