Characteristics of patients aged 50–74 years with a request for an immunochemical faecal occult blood test in the Australian general practice setting
Allan Pollack A , Doreen Busingye A * , Jill Thistlethwaite A , Suzanne Blogg A and Kendal Chidwick A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A NPS MedicineWise, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
* Correspondence to: busingyedoreen@gmail.com
Australian Health Review 46(2) 222-232 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH21129
Submitted: 12 April 2021 Accepted: 11 October 2021 Published: 28 February 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.
Abstract
Objective To support improving participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP), we aimed to identify Medicare-subsidised test requests for immunochemical faecal occult blood tests (FOBT) in Australian general practice for patients aged 50–74 years, eligible for the NBCSP, and describe sociodemographics, risk factors, indications and outcomes.
Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using de-identified data from 441 Australian general practice sites in the MedicineInsight database, recorded from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019.
Results Of the 683 625 eligible patients, 45 771 (6.7%) had a record of a general practitioner (GP)-requested FOBT, either to aid diagnosis in symptomatic patients, or for screening; 144 986 (21.2%) patients had only an NBCSP FOBT. A diagnosis of polyps, gastrointestinal inflammatory condition or haemorrhoids, or a referral to a gastroenterologist or general surgeon, was more commonly recorded in the 6 months after a GP-requested FOBT than after an NBCSP FOBT. Uptake of NBCSP FOBTs was lower among those with obesity, high alcohol consumption and current smokers, who are at higher risk of bowel cancer.
Conclusions This study describes the patient characteristics, reasons and outcomes associated with GP-requested FOBTs, identifies under-screened population sub-groups, and suggests involvement of GPs to improve participation in the NBCSP.
Keywords: bowel cancer, early detection, faecal occult blood tests, general practice, MedicineInsight, National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, patient profiles, primary care, screening.
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