Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36380479›Full record

ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2022

Use of faecal immunochemical tests common in patients with suspected colorectal cancer but unrelated to travel distance to secondary care: a population-based study from Swedish primary care.

Cecilia Högberg, Olof Cronberg, Hans Thulesius, Mikael Lilja, Stefan Jansson, Ulf Gunnarsson

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
0.1field-weighted citation impact, top 51% 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

0 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Cecilia HögbergDepartment of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Research, Education and Development Östersund, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Olof CronbergDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Malmö.
Hans ThulesiusDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Malmö.
Mikael LiljaDepartment of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Unit of Research, Education and Development Östersund, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Stefan JanssonSchool of Medical Sciences, University Health Care Research Centre, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Ulf GunnarssonDepartment of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Surgery, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Umeå University · SELinnaeus University · SELund University · SEUppsala University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvidence is increasing for the use of faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) for occult blood as diagnostic tools when colorectal cancer can be suspected. FITs have been used for this purpose in Swedish primary care since around 2005 despite absence of supporting guidelines. To our knowledge, the extent of this use has not been studied.

objectiveTo investigate the use of FITs as diagnostic tools, and if the use was related to patient age, sex and travel time from primary care to diagnostic facilities in secondary care.

designPopulation-based retrospective study using data from electronic health records. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Patients ≥18 years that provided FITs in primary care in five Swedish health care regions during 2015. Driving times from their primary care centres to secondary care were calculated.

main outcome measuresThe proportion of patients that provided FITs was calculated for each region, different age intervals and grouped driving times.

results18,913 patients provided FITs. The proportion of listed patients in the five regions that provided FITs increased with age: 0.86-1.2% for ages <65 years, 3.6-4.1% for ages 65-79 years and 3.8-6.1% for ages ≥80 years. Differences between the regions were small. There was no overall correlation between the proportion of patients that provided FITs and driving time to secondary care.

conclusionFITs were used extensively in Swedish primary care with a higher use in older age groups. There was no tendency towards a higher use of FITs at primary care centres with longer driving times to secondary care.Key PointsEvidence is increasing for the use of faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) as diagnostic tools when colorectal cancer can be suspected. We investigated the use of FITs in Sweden.FITs were used extensively in primary care especially in older age groups.There were small differences in the use of FITs between five studied health care regions.There was no tendency towards a higher use of FITs at primary care centres with longer driving times to diagnostic facilities in secondary care.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsMass ScreeningAgedAged, 80 and overHumansInfantOccult BloodPrimary Health CareRetrospective StudiesSecondary Health CareSensitivity and SpecificitySwedenColorectal cancerfaecal immunochemical testsoccult bloodprimary health careSwedentravel time

Identifiers

PMID36380479
PMCPMC9848230
OpenAlexW4309165496

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.