Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake in many countries has been low and further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. General Practitioners (GPs) are key facilitators, however research on their impact on organised CRC screening is still limited.Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of...

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Main Authors: Cecilia Acuti Martellucci, Giusi Giacomini, Maria Elena Flacco, Lamberto Manzoli, Margherita Morettini, Mosè Martellucci, Sara Rosati, Silvia Bizzarri, Matthew Palmer, Lidia Pascucci, Marco Uncini, Francesca Pasqualini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:European Journal of General Practice
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/13814788.2024.2340672
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author Cecilia Acuti Martellucci
Giusi Giacomini
Maria Elena Flacco
Lamberto Manzoli
Margherita Morettini
Mosè Martellucci
Sara Rosati
Silvia Bizzarri
Matthew Palmer
Lidia Pascucci
Marco Uncini
Francesca Pasqualini
author_facet Cecilia Acuti Martellucci
Giusi Giacomini
Maria Elena Flacco
Lamberto Manzoli
Margherita Morettini
Mosè Martellucci
Sara Rosati
Silvia Bizzarri
Matthew Palmer
Lidia Pascucci
Marco Uncini
Francesca Pasqualini
author_sort Cecilia Acuti Martellucci
collection DOAJ
description Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake in many countries has been low and further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. General Practitioners (GPs) are key facilitators, however research on their impact on organised CRC screening is still limited.Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of tailored talks with GPs to increase population uptake of the long-established CRC screening programme in Ancona province, Italy.Methods In this prospective cohort study, one-to-one tailored talks were organised in January 2020 between the GPs of one county of the province (with GPs from other counties as controls) and the screening programme physician-in-chief to discuss the deployment and effectiveness of organised screening. Data was extracted from the National Healthcare System datasets and linear regression was used to assess the potential predictors of CRC screening uptake.Results The mean CRC screening uptake remained stable from 39.9% in 2018–19 to 40.8% in 2020–21 in the 22 GPs of the intervention county, whereas it statistically significantly decreased from 38.7% to 34.7% in the 232 control GPs. In multivariate analyses, belonging to the intervention county was associated with an improved uptake compared to the control counties (+5.1%; 95% Confidence Intervals – CI: 2.0%; 8.1%).Conclusion Persons cared for by GPs who received a tailored talk with a cancer screening specialist avoided a drop in CRC screening adherence, which characterised all other Italian screening programmes during the COVID-19 emergency. If future randomised trials confirm the impact of tailored talks, they may be incorporated into existing strategies to improve population CRC screening uptake.
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spelling doaj-art-0d86c812b6b144f0803b2e658cb0a9bf2025-08-20T03:53:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEuropean Journal of General Practice1381-47881751-14022024-12-0130110.1080/13814788.2024.2340672Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic periodCecilia Acuti Martellucci0Giusi Giacomini1Maria Elena Flacco2Lamberto Manzoli3Margherita Morettini4Mosè Martellucci5Sara Rosati6Silvia Bizzarri7Matthew Palmer8Lidia Pascucci9Marco Uncini10Francesca Pasqualini11Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalyOncologic Screening Unit, Ancona Healthcare Agency, Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyOncologic Screening Unit, Ancona Healthcare Agency, Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalyThe Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney, A Joint Venture with Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, AustraliaDepartment of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, University of the Marche Region, Ancona, ItalyOncologic Screening Unit, Ancona Healthcare Agency, Ancona, ItalyBackground Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake in many countries has been low and further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. General Practitioners (GPs) are key facilitators, however research on their impact on organised CRC screening is still limited.Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of tailored talks with GPs to increase population uptake of the long-established CRC screening programme in Ancona province, Italy.Methods In this prospective cohort study, one-to-one tailored talks were organised in January 2020 between the GPs of one county of the province (with GPs from other counties as controls) and the screening programme physician-in-chief to discuss the deployment and effectiveness of organised screening. Data was extracted from the National Healthcare System datasets and linear regression was used to assess the potential predictors of CRC screening uptake.Results The mean CRC screening uptake remained stable from 39.9% in 2018–19 to 40.8% in 2020–21 in the 22 GPs of the intervention county, whereas it statistically significantly decreased from 38.7% to 34.7% in the 232 control GPs. In multivariate analyses, belonging to the intervention county was associated with an improved uptake compared to the control counties (+5.1%; 95% Confidence Intervals – CI: 2.0%; 8.1%).Conclusion Persons cared for by GPs who received a tailored talk with a cancer screening specialist avoided a drop in CRC screening adherence, which characterised all other Italian screening programmes during the COVID-19 emergency. If future randomised trials confirm the impact of tailored talks, they may be incorporated into existing strategies to improve population CRC screening uptake.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/13814788.2024.2340672Colorectal cancercancer screeninggeneral practiceItaly
spellingShingle Cecilia Acuti Martellucci
Giusi Giacomini
Maria Elena Flacco
Lamberto Manzoli
Margherita Morettini
Mosè Martellucci
Sara Rosati
Silvia Bizzarri
Matthew Palmer
Lidia Pascucci
Marco Uncini
Francesca Pasqualini
Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period
European Journal of General Practice
Colorectal cancer
cancer screening
general practice
Italy
title Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period
title_full Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period
title_fullStr Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period
title_short Effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in Ancona (Italy) during the pandemic period
title_sort effectiveness of tailored talks between a cancer screening specialist and general practitioners to improve the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in ancona italy during the pandemic period
topic Colorectal cancer
cancer screening
general practice
Italy
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/13814788.2024.2340672
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