Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening in Community Health Centers
Author Information
Author(s): Karen E. Lasser, John Z. Ayanian, Robert H. Fletcher, Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good
Primary Institution: Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School
Hypothesis
What are the barriers to colorectal cancer screening among diverse patients served by community health centers?
Conclusion
Patients face several barriers to colorectal cancer screening, including distrust of doctors, lack of symptoms, and lack of physician recommendations.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients cited lack of trust in doctors as a major barrier to screening.
- Many patients believed they did not need screening because they had no symptoms.
- A doctor's recommendation significantly influenced patients' decisions to be screened.
- Fatalistic views about cancer were reported as a barrier by some patients.
Takeaway
Some people don't get checked for colon cancer because they don't trust doctors or think they don't need it. Doctors and patients sometimes see different reasons for this.
Methodology
In-depth semi-structured interviews with 23 patients and their primary care physicians were conducted to explore barriers to colorectal cancer screening.
Potential Biases
Interview coding may be subjective.
Limitations
The findings may not be generalizable to other patient populations and the sample size was small.
Participant Demographics
Most patients were female, non-white, had low education levels, and an annual income of less than $15,000.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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