Increasing Colorectal Screening Rates Within A Home-Based Primary Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, following breast and lung cancer, with a global estimate of 1.8 million new cases. Problem Statement: The project setting's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set score for CRC is consistently low, leading to millions of dollars in Medicare reimbursement. Aim: This project aims to increase CRC screening rates at the site within three months. PICO(T) Question: Among providers employed at a home-based primary care setting (P), will CRC screening, a train-the-trainer session, and a weekly phone call reminder to patients (I) improve CRC screening rates (O) compared with current pre-intervention CRC screening rates (C) among patients aged 50 to 75 years within three months (T)? Methodology: Providers attended a CRC training session, and patients received education materials and a fecal immunochemical test kit, followed by phone call reminders.
Research Design: Pre-intervention and post-intervention project design. Data Analysis: The project used descriptive statistics and McNemar's Chi-square test for data analysis. Findings: The intervention result was statistically significant. Conclusion: Provider education, patient education material, and phone call reminders effectively increase CRC screening in home-bound populations.
Keywords: colorectal cancer screening, home-based screening, PDSA model, patient reminder, patient educational intervention, patient navigation