Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30975679›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2019

General practitioners' awareness of the recommendations for faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) for suspected lower gastrointestinal cancers: a national survey.

Christian Von Wagner, Sandro Tiziano Stoffel, Madeline Freeman, Helga E Laszlo, Brian D Nicholson, Jessica Sheringham, Dorothy Szinay, Yasemin Hirst

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 35% 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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Christian Von WagnerResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL, London, UK.
Sandro Tiziano StoffelResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL, London, UK.
Madeline FreemanResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL, London, UK.
Helga E LaszloUCLH Cancer Collaborative, UCLH, London, UK.
Brian D NicholsonNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jessica SheringhamDepartment of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK.
Dorothy SzinayResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL, London, UK.
Yasemin HirstResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL, London, UK.
University College London · GBThe Behaviouralist (United Kingdom) · GBCRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Cancer Research UK C1418/A14134
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesIn July 2017, UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a diagnostic guidance (DG30) recommending the use of faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) for symptomatic patients who do not meet the urgent referral pathway for suspected colorectal cancer (CRC). We assessed general practitioners' (GP) awareness of DG30 in primary care 6 months after its publication. DESIGN AND

settingCross-sectional online survey of GPs hosted by an English panel of Primary health care professionals.

participantsIn December 2017, 1024 GPs registered on an online panel (M3) based in England took part in an online survey. OUTCOMES AND VARIABLES: We investigated a number of factors including previous experience of using FIT and guaiac faecal occult blood tests (FOBTs), the number of urgent referrals for CRC that GPs have made in the last year and their sociodemographic and professional characteristics that could be associated with their self-reported awareness of the FIT diagnostic guidance.

resultsOf the 1024 GPs who completed the survey, 432 (42.2%) were aware of the current recommendation but only 102 (10%) had used it to guide their referrals. Awareness was lowest in North West England compared with London (30.5% vs 44.9%; adjusted OR: 0.55, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.92). Awareness of the FIT guidance was positively associated with test usage after the NICE update (adjusted OR: 13.00, 95% CI 6.87 to 24.61) and having specialist training (adjusted OR: 1.48, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.08). The number of urgent referrals, the previous use of FOBt, GPs' age and gender, work experience and practice size (both in terms of the number of GPs or patients at the practice) were not associated with awareness.

conclusionsLess than half of GPs in this survey recognised the current guidance on the use of FIT. Self-reported awareness was not systematically related to demographic of professional characteristics.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelGeneral PracticeHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticePractice Guidelines as TopicAdultColorectal NeoplasmsCross-Sectional StudiesEnglandFecesFemaleHealth Care SurveysHumansImmunochemistryImmunologic TestsMaleMiddle Agedcolorectalfecal immunochemical testprimary caresymptomatictwo week wait

Identifiers

PMID30975679
PMCPMC6500239
OpenAlexW2936258954

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.