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Outreach and Reminder Strategies for Colorectal Cancer Screening

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Shivan Mehta, MD

Research Sponsored by Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be older than 18 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up 3 years

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial assesses the effectiveness of a centralized program to increase colorectal cancer screening among average-risk patients. Outreach, EHR nudges, & text reminders are used to track completion rates over 3 years.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for patients aged 50-72 who are overdue for colorectal cancer screening, have seen a participating primary care physician in the last two years, and aren't up to date with their screenings. It's not for those on hospice or palliative care, uninsured/self-pay individuals, scheduled for colon procedures, at high risk of dying within three years, or with certain gastrointestinal conditions.

What is being tested?

The study tests if direct patient outreach programs and clinician nudges via electronic health records plus follow-up texts increase colorectal cancer screening rates over three years. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive different types of reminders or no reminder about CRC screening.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial focuses on communication strategies rather than medical treatments, there are no direct side effects from interventions like drugs or surgeries. However, participants may experience anxiety or stress related to undergoing CRC screenings.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ 3 years

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~3 years

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 3 years for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

CRC screening completion at 3 years

Secondary study objectives

CRC screening rate

Choice of test

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

5Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Arm 3B: Sequential Choice and Visit-Based Nudge/TextExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Using bulk ordering, patients assigned to this arm will receive an order for colonoscopy and direct outreach (via text message and either the electronic patient portal or mailed letter, depending on their patient portal status) informing them they are overdue for CRC screening. If not completed, patients will receive an order and a mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) with a reminder to complete CRC screening. Patients randomized to this arm who attend a visit with their Primary Care Physician (PCP) will additionally receive a visit-based, clinician directed nudge to discuss colorectal cancer screening and a follow-up text 3 days post-visit to encourage screening completion.

Group II: Arm 3A: Sequential Choice and No Nudge/TextExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Group III: Arm 2B: Colonoscopy Only and Visit-Based Nudge/TextExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Using bulk ordering, patients assigned to this arm will receive an order for colonoscopy and direct outreach (via text message and either the electronic patient portal or mailed letter, depending on their patient portal status) informing them they are overdue for CRC screening. Patients randomized to this arm who attend a visit with their Primary Care Physician (PCP) will additionally receive a visit-based, clinician directed nudge to discuss colorectal cancer screening and a follow-up text 3 days post-visit to encourage screening completion.

Group IV: Arm 2A: Colonoscopy Only and No Nudge/TextExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Group V: Arm 1A: Usual CareExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Patients assigned to the Usual Care arm will receive current usual care and will not receive direct patient outreach or any visit-based interventions from this trial.

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