Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19237720›Full record

Trial reportArchives of internal medicine2009

Patient and physician reminders to promote colorectal cancer screening: a randomized controlled trial.

Thomas D Sequist, Alan M Zaslavsky, Richard Marshall, Robert H Fletcher, John Z Ayanian

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Archives of internal medicine, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00355004 (Improving Systems for Colorectal Cancer Screening), which is not on this map. Cited by 124 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
124citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
8.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT00355004 nacompletednot on this map

Improving Systems for Colorectal Cancer Screening

TypeinterventionalSponsorHarvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)Ran2005 to 2009Enrolled21,860ConditionsColorectal CancerArmscounseling intervention, fecal occult blood test, screening colonoscopy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

124 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 189 citations in OpenAlex.

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  3. How best to use and evaluate Patient Information Leaflets given during a consultation: a systematic review of literature reviews.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2017
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  11. Point-of-care tools to support optometric care provision to people with age-related macular degeneration: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2022
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  12. Randomized Controlled Trial of Advance Notification Phone Calls vs Text Messages Prior to Mailed Fecal Test Outreach.Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association · 2021
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  16. Alerts in electronic medical records to promote a colorectal cancer screening programme: a cluster randomised controlled trial in primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2016
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64 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Thomas D SequistDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Alan M Zaslavsky
Richard Marshall
Robert H Fletcher
John Z Ayanian
Brigham and Women's Hospital · USHarvard University · USHarvard Vanguard Medical Associates · US

Funding

Improving Systems for Colorectal Cancer ScreeningR01CA112367 · NCI · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (MEDICAL SCHOOL) · PI AYANIAN, JOHN Z. · 2005 to 2008
$1.9M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA 112367NCI NIH HHS R01 CA112367
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundScreening reduces colorectal cancer mortality, but effective screening tests remain underused. Systematic reminders to patients and physicians could increase screening rates

methodsWe conducted a randomized controlled trial of patient and physician reminders in 11 ambulatory health care centers. Participants included 21 860 patients aged 50 to 80 years who were overdue for colorectal cancer screening and 110 primary care physicians. Patients were randomly assigned to receive mailings containing an educational pamphlet, fecal occult blood test kit, and instructions for direct scheduling of flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Physicians were randomly assigned to receive electronic reminders during office visits with patients overdue for screening. The primary outcome was receipt of fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy over 15 months, and the secondary outcome was detection of colorectal adenomas.

resultsScreening rates were higher for patients who received mailings compared with those who did not (44.0% vs 38.1%; P < .001). The effect increased with age: +3.7% for ages 50 to 59 years; +7.3% for ages 60 to 69 years; and +10.1% for ages 70 to 80 years (P = .01 for trend). Screening rates were similar among patients of physicians receiving electronic reminders and the control group (41.9% vs 40.2%; P = .47). However, electronic reminders tended to increase screening rates among patients with 3 or more primary care visits (59.5% vs 52.7%; P = .07). Detection of adenomas tended to increase with patient mailings (5.7% vs 5.2%; P = .10) and physician reminders (6.0% vs 4.9%; P = .09).

conclusionsMailed reminders to patients are an effective tool to promote colorectal cancer screening, and electronic reminders to physicians may increase screening among adults who have more frequent primary care visits.

Indexed as

Health PromotionMass ScreeningReminder SystemsAdenomaAdultAgedAged, 80 and overColonoscopyColorectal NeoplasmsEarly Detection of CancerFemaleHumansInternetMaleMiddle AgedOccult Blood

Identifiers

PMID19237720
PMCPMC2683730
OpenAlexW2044889257

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.