Sunday 30 April 2017

Implementing the screening programme

Organised CRC screening is a multi-step process including:

  •  Identification of the target population; 
  •  Recruitment of eligible subjects;
  •  Delivery of screening test;
  •  Reporting of screening test results; 
  •  Reassurance of people with normal results and information on the timing of the next test;
  •  Recall of people with unsatisfactory/inadequate screening test Follow-up of people with positive tests, i.e. diagnostic procedures and treatment needed, including a fail-safe system to make sure this actually happens; and
  •  Registration, monitoring and evaluation of the entire programme.
Identifying and defining the target population 

Catchment areas and target populations must be clearly defined. The necessary data include unique identification for each person, such as name, date of birth, relevant health insurance or social security numbers, general practitioner (GP) where appropriate, and contact address. Population registers or registries can in general provide such data, but they must be updated regularly to account for population migration, deaths and changes in personal details. In those countries in which population registries are based on administrative areas of small size, communication between registries is essential. Suitable registries might include population, electoral, social security, screening programme, and health service registries. Incomplete or inaccurate registries can result in certain groups (such as transients or ethnic minorities) not being invited for screening.

If an accurate, complete and regularly-updated register of the whole target population does not exist, an administrative database that combines information from available registries for all people to be included in screening should be implemented for the purposes of the programme. The legal basis for access to such registries must be set up and all data protection measures should be implemented according to the national and European legislation. 

Inclusion and exclusion criteria  

The target population for a CRC screening programme includes all people eligible to attend screening on the basis of age and geographical area of residence. However, each programme may apply additional exclusion/inclusion criteria to identify the population eligible for screening. Potential reasons for excluding a subject from screening might include conditions in which offering the screening test is not appropriate, such as terminal illness (no benefit could be attained through screening), recent (the relevant period should be specified and justified) screening test (the expected benefit achievable by repeating the test might not outweigh the risks associated with the procedure), previous diagnosis of CRC or pre-malignant lesions (these patients should already be followed-up according to specific surveillance protocols, and their inclusion in screening might result in the offer of conflicting management options).

The extent to which such individuals can be identified and excluded from the target population will vary by screening programme: for some programmes it may not be feasible or desirable to identify every category of potential exclusion prior to invitation. 

The necessary information may be collected at the first personal contact with the screenee, i.e. at the time of a possible colonoscopy assessment in the case of FOBT programmes, or at the time of the screening exam for FS or colonoscopy programmes. 

Exclusion might alternatively be based on the information gathered through the GPs or other primary care providers, who may be requested to check the eligibility of their patients ear-marked for invitation.

If the screening policy allows for exclusions, the exact definition of the respective criteria should be given and exclusions should be carefully and routinely monitored for appropriateness and equity.  

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