The development of a Credible Virtual Clinician (VC) Promoting Colorectal Cancer Screening via Telehealth Applications for and by Black Men: A Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danyell Wilson-Howard ◽  
Melissa J. Vilaro ◽  
Jordan M. Neil ◽  
Eric J. Cooks ◽  
Lauren N. Griffin ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Traditionally, the promotion of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among Black men was delivered by Community Health Workers (CHW), Patient Navigators, and decision aids (printed text or video media) at clinics and in the community setting. A novel approach to increase CRC screening of Black men includes developing and utilizing a patient-centered, tailored message delivered via virtual human technology in the privacy of one’s home. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to incorporate the perceptions of Black men in the development of a Virtual Clinician (VC) designed to deliver precision messages promoting the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) kit for CRC screening among Black men in a future clinical trial. METHODS Focus groups of Black men were recruited to understand their perceptions of a Black-male VC. Specifically, these men identified source characteristics that would enhance the credibility of the VC. The MAIN Model which examines how an interface features affect the user’s psychology through four Affordances: Modality, Agency, Interactivity, and Navigability was used to assess the presumed credibility of the VC and likability of the app from the focus group transcripts. Each affordance triggers heuristic cues that stimulate a positive or negative perception of trustworthiness, believability, and understandability thereby increasing source credibility. RESULTS Twenty-five Black men were recruited from the community and contributed to the development of three iterations of a Black male VC over an eighteen-month time span. Feedback from the man enhanced the visual appearance of the VC including its movement, clothing, facial expressions, and environmental surroundings. Heuristics including social presence, novelty, and authority were all recognized by the final version of the VC and creditably was established. The VC was referred to as “brother-doctor” and participants stated “wanting to interact with ALEX over their regular doctor”. CONCLUSIONS Involving Black men in the development of a digital healthcare intervention is critical. This population is burdened by cancer health disparities and incorporating their perceptions in tele-health interventions, will create awareness of the need to develop targeted messages for Black men

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 441-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
TF Shapero ◽  
PE Alexander ◽  
J Hoover ◽  
E Burgis ◽  
R Schabas

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common incident cancer and the second most fatal cancer in Canada. Flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) is one of the modalities under consideration for CRC screening. The present series reports on a screening program of FS performed by nonphysician endoscopists in a Canadian community setting, with video review of procedures by physicians and recommendation of follow-up colonoscopy where polyps are identified.RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-five, average-risk, asymptomatic patients were examined. After exclusion of inappropriate referrals, 488 remained for analysis. The duration and extent of examination were comparable with those of previous studies elsewhere. Compliance with suggested follow-up was 97.3%. Polyps were identified at FS in 15.4% of examinees. In 8.2% of patients, the polyps were neoplastic at subsequent histology. Four malignant lesions were detected, all at an early stage. There were no complications of FS.INTERPRETATION: This report shows that FS can be carried out safely and effectively by nonphysician personnel in a community setting in Canada. The manpower cost for nonphysician operators is considerably less than that for specialist physician endoscopists. This approach deserves consideration in cost effectiveness analyses of CRC screening.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Suhada Ramli ◽  
Mohd Rizal Abdul Manaf ◽  
Mohd Rohaizat Hassan ◽  
Muhamad Izwan Ismail ◽  
Azmawati Mohammed Nawi

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces mortality yet remains underutilized. Low health literacy may contribute to this underutilization by interfering with patients' ability to understand and receive preventive health services. E-media decision-aids approach have been shown to improve saliency and foster informed decision making. OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review aims to determine the effectiveness of CRC screening promotion using e-media decision-aids in primary health care (PHC) settings. METHODS Three databases (Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) were used to search for eligible studies, published from January 2010 until December 2020. Reviewers independently selected studies that quantitatively evaluated e-media decision-aids compared to usual care or other conditions. Cochrane’s tools were applied for quality assessment. Effectiveness of CRC screening e-media decision-aids was primarily measured by CRC screening completion rate. Secondary outcomes were spoiled kit return rate, CRC screening awareness and belief, ability to state screening test preference, readiness to receive and ordered CRC screening test. Meta‐analysis were conducted to calculate pooled estimates of CRC screening completion rate by using RevMan 5.4.1 software. RESULTS Ten studies comprising of 9393 patients were included in this review. Follow-ups were from three to twenty-four months. Most studies focused to improve screening in vulnerable populations that tend to be under-screened. Two types of decision-aid interventions used were video and interactive multimedia program, with duration between six to fifteen minutes. Data from nine feasible studies with low or some risk of bias were synthesized for meta-analysis. Random‐effects model revealed CRC screening promotions using e-media decision aids were almost twice likely to have screening completion than their comparisons (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03‐2.62, p<0.05). All secondary outcomes showed positive effects of CRC screening interventions, despite some were not significant. CONCLUSIONS CRC screening promotion through e-media have great potential to increase screening participation in PHC settings. Development of culturally tailored decision aids aiming for CRC screening completion should be prioritized, and made integrated into existing CRC screening programs. CLINICALTRIAL Prospero (registration ID CRD42020220301)


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Vilaro ◽  
Danyell S. Wilson-Howard ◽  
Mohan S. Zalake ◽  
Fatemeh Tavassoli ◽  
Benjamin C. Lok ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Understanding how older, minoritized patients attend to cues when interacting with web-based health messages may provide opportunities to improve engagement with novel health technologies. We assess acceptance-promoting and acceptance-inhibiting cues of a web-based, intervention promoting colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with a home stool test among Black women. Materials and methods Focus group and individual interview data informed iterative changes to a race- and gender-concordant virtual health assistant (VHA). A user-centered design approach was used across 3 iterations to identify changes needed to activate cues described as important; such as portraying authority and expertise. Questionnaire data were analyzed using non-parametric tests for perceptions of cues. Analysis was guided by the Technology Acceptance Model. Results Perceptions of interactivity, social presence, expertise, and trust were important cues in a VHA-delivered intervention promoting CRC screening. Features of the web-based platform related to ease of navigation and use were also discussed. Participant comments varied across the 3 iterations and indicated acceptance of or a desire to improve source cues for subsequent iterations. We highlight the specific key changes made at each of three iterative versions of the interactive intervention in conjunction with user perception of changes. Discussion Virtual agents can be adapted to better meet patient expectations such as being a trustworthy and expert source. Across three evolving versions of a Black, VHA, cues for social presence were particularly important. Social presence cues helped patients engage with CRC screening messages delivered in this novel digital context. Conclusions When using a VHA to disseminate health information, cues associated with acceptability can be leveraged and adapted as needed for diverse audiences. Patient characteristics (age, identity, health status) are important to note as they may affect perceptions of a novel health technologies ease of use and relevancy according to the leading models.


Author(s):  
Nur Suhada Ramli ◽  
Mohd Rizal Abdul Manaf ◽  
Mohd Rohaizat Hassan ◽  
Muhamad Izwan Ismail ◽  
Azmawati Mohammed Nawi

Colorectal cancer (CRC)-screening reduces mortality, yet remains underutilized. The use of electronic media (e-media) decision aids improves saliency and fosters informed decision-making. This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of CRC-screening promotion, using e-media decision aids in primary healthcare (PHC) settings. Three databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) were searched for eligible studies. Studies that evaluated e-media decision aids compared to usual care or other conditions were selected. Quality was assessed by using Cochrane tools. Their effectiveness was measured by CRC-screening completion rates, and meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the pooled estimates. Ten studies involving 9393 patients were included in this review. Follow-up durations spanned 3–24 months. The two types of decision-aid interventions used were videos and interactive multimedia programs, with durations of 6–15 min. Data from nine feasible studies with low or some risk of bias were synthesized for meta-analysis. A random-effects model revealed that CRC-screening promotion using e-media decision aids were almost twice as likely to have screening completion than their comparisons (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03–2.62, p < 0.05). CRC-screening promotion through e-media has great potential for increasing screening participation in PHC settings. Thus, its development should be prioritized, and it should be integrated into existing programs.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1129
Author(s):  
Audrius Dulskas ◽  
Tomas Poskus ◽  
Inga Kildusiene ◽  
Ausvydas Patasius ◽  
Rokas Stulpinas ◽  
...  

We aimed to report the results of the implementation of the National Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening Program covering all the country. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) reimburses the institutions for performing each service; each procedure within the program has its own administrative code. Information about services provided within the program was retrieved from the database of NHIF starting from the 1 January 2014 to the 31 December 2018. Exact date and type of all provided services, test results, date and results of biopsy and histopathological examination were extracted together with the vital status at the end of follow-up, date of death and date of emigration when applicable for all men and women born between 1935 and 1968. Results were compared with the guidelines of the European Union for quality assurance in CRC screening and diagnosis. The screening uptake was 49.5% (754,061 patients) during study period. Participation rate varied from 16% to 18.1% per year and was higher among women than among men. Proportion of test-positive and test-negative results was similar during all the study period—8.7% and 91.3% annually. Between 9.2% and 13.5% of test-positive patients received a biopsy of which 52.3–61.8% were positive for colorectal adenoma and 4.6–7.3% for colorectal carcinoma. CRC detection rate among test-positive individuals varied between 0.93% and 1.28%. The colorectal cancer screening program in Lithuania coverage must be improved. A screening database is needed to systematically evaluate the impact and performance of the national CRC screening program and quality assurance within the program.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Woo Kim ◽  
Hyunjin Kim ◽  
Hyoung Rae Kim ◽  
Bong-Hyeon Kye ◽  
Hyung Jin Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is a global priority, with many countries conducting population-based CRC screening programs. Although colonoscopy is the most accurate diagnostic method for early CRC detection, adherence remains low because of its invasiveness and the need for extensive bowel preparation. Non-invasive fecal occult blood tests or fecal immunochemical tests are available; however, their sensitivity is relatively low. Syndecan-2 (SDC2) is a stool-based DNA methylation marker used for early detection of CRC. Using the EarlyTect™-Colon Cancer test, the sensitivity and specificity of SDC2 methylation in stool DNA for detecting CRC were previously demonstrated to be greater than 90%. Therefore, a larger trial to validate its use for CRC screening in asymptomatic populations is now required. Methods All participants will collect their stool (at least 20 g) before undergoing screening colonoscopy. The samples will be sent to a central laboratory for analysis. Stool DNA will be isolated using a GT Stool DNA Extraction kit, according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Before performing the methylation test, stool DNA (2 µg per reaction) will be treated with bisulfite, according to manufacturer’s instructions. SDC2 and COL2A1 control reactions will be performed in a single tube. The SDC2 methylation test will be performed using an AB 7500 Fast Real-time PCR system. CT values will be calculated using the 7500 software accompanying the instrument. Results from the EarlyTect™-Colon Cancer test will be compared against those obtained from colonoscopy and any corresponding diagnostic histopathology from clinically significant biopsied or subsequently excised lesions. Based on these results, participants will be divided into three groups: CRC, polyp, and negative. The following clinical data will be recorded for the participants: sex, age, colonoscopy results, and clinical stage (for CRC cases). Discussion This trial investigates the clinical performance of a device that allows quantitative detection of a single DNA marker, SDC2 methylation, in human stool DNA in asymptomatic populations. The results of this trial are expected to be beneficial for CRC screening and may help make colonoscopy a selective procedure used only in populations with a high risk of CRC. Trial registration: This trial (NCT04304131) was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on March 11, 2020 and is available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04304131?cond=NCT04304131&draw=2&rank=1.


Author(s):  
Kiara N. Mayhand ◽  
Elizabeth A. Handorf ◽  
Angel G. Ortiz ◽  
Evelyn T. Gonzalez ◽  
Amie Devlin ◽  
...  

Despite the effectiveness of screenings in reducing colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality, ~25% of US adults do not adhere to screening guidelines. Prior studies associate socioeconomic status (SES) with low screening adherence and suggest that neighborhood deprivation can influence CRC outcomes. We comprehensively investigated the effect of neighborhood SES circumstances (nSES), individual SES, and race/ethnicity on adherence to CRC screening in a multiethnic cross-sectional study. Participant surveys assessing 32 individual-level socioeconomic and healthcare access measures were administered from 2017 to 2018. Participant data were joined with nine nSES measures from the US Census at the census tract level. Univariate, LASSO, and multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression models were used for variable reduction and evaluation of associations. The total study population included 526 participants aged 50–85; 29% of participants were non-adherent. In the final multivariable model, age (p = 0.02) and Non-Hispanic Black race (p = 0.02) were associated with higher odds of adherence. Factors associated with lower adherence were home rental (vs. ownership) (p = 0.003), perception of low healthcare quality (p = 0.006), no routine checkup within two years (p = 0.002), perceived discrimination (p = 0.02), and nSES deprivation (p = 0.02). After comprehensive variable methods were applied, socioeconomic indicators at the neighborhood and individual level were found to contribute to low CRC screening adherence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Bo Nielsen ◽  
Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff ◽  
Anja Leppin

Abstract Background Screening programs for colorectal cancer (CRC) exist in many countries, and with varying participation rates. The present study aimed at identifying socio-demographic factors for accepting a cost-free screening offer for CRC in Denmark, and to study if more people would accept the screening offer if the present fecal test was replaced by a blood test. Methods We used a cross-sectional survey design based on a representative group of 6807 Danish citizens aged 50–80 years returning a fully answered web-based questionnaire with socio-demographic data added from national registries. Data were analyzed in STATA and based on bivariate analyses followed by regression models. Results Danes in general have a high level of lifetime participation (+ 80%) in the national CRC screening program. The results of the stepwise logistic regression model to predict CRC screening participation demonstrated that female gender, higher age, higher income, and moderate alcohol intake were positively associated with screening participation, whereas a negative association was observed for higher educational attainment, obesity, being a smoker, and higher willingness to take health risks. Of the 1026 respondents not accepting the screening offer, 61% were willing to reconsider their initial negative response if the fecal sampling procedure were replaced by blood sampling. Conclusion The CRC screening program intends to include the entire population within a certain at-risk age group. However, individual factors (e.g. sex, age obesity, smoking, risk aversity) appear to significantly affect willingness to participate in the screening program. From a preventive perspective, our findings indicate the need for a more targeted approach trying to reach these groups.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 569
Author(s):  
Benjamin E. Ansa ◽  
Nicollette Lewis ◽  
Zachary Hoffman ◽  
Biplab Datta ◽  
J. Aaron Johnson

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States (USA). Early screening has been demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes for CRC. Assessing patterns in CRC screening utilization is important for guiding policy and implementing programs for CRC prevention and control. This study examines the trends and sociodemographic factors associated with blood stool test utilization (BSTU) for CRC screening in Georgia, USA. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data were analyzed for Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC) in BSTU between 1997 and 2014 among adults aged 50+ who have had a blood stool test within the past two years, and logistic regression analysis of the 2016 data was performed to identify the associated sociodemographic factors. In Georgia, an overall decrease was observed in BSTU, from 27.8% in 1997 to 16.1% in 2014 (AAPC = −2.6, p = 0.023). The decrease in BSTU was less pronounced in Georgia than nationally (from 26.1% in 1997 to 12.8% in 2014 (AAPC = −4.5, p < 0.001)). BSTU was significantly associated with black race/ethnicity (Black vs. White (aOR = 1.43, p = 0.015)), older age (≥70 vs. 50–59 (aOR = 1.62, p = 0.006)), having insurance coverage (no vs. yes (aOR = 0.37 p = 0.005)), and lower income (≥USD 50,000 vs. <USD 25,000 (aOR = 0.70 p = 0.050)). These findings reveal a decrease over time in BSTU in Georgia, with existing differences between sociodemographic groups. Understanding these patterns helps in directing tailored programs for promoting CRC screening, especially among disadvantaged populations.


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