Colorectal Cancer Screening in High-risk Populations: a Survey of Cognition among Medical Professionals in Jiangsu, China

Abstract

To investigate the cognition of medical professionals when following screening guidelines for colorectal cancer(CRC) and barriers to CRC screening. Between February 2012 and December 2012, an anonymous survey with19-questions based on several CRC screening guidelines was randomly administered to gastroenterologists,oncologists, general surgeons, and general practitioners in Jiangsu, a developed area in China where the incidenceof CRC is relatively high. The average cognitive score was 26.4% among 924 respondents. Gastroenterologistsand oncologists had higher scores compared with others (p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively); doctor of medicine(M.D.) with or without doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) or holders with bachelor of medical science (BMS) achievedhigher scores than other lower degree holders (P<0.05). More importantly, doctors who finished CRC relatededucation in the past year achieved higher scores than the others (p<0.001). The most commonly listed barriersto referring high-risk patients for CRC screening were “anxiety about colonoscopy without anesthesia”, “lackof awareness of the current guidelines” and “lack of insurance reimbursement.” Lack of cognition was detectedamong doctors when following CRC screening guidelines for high-risk populations. Educational programs shouldbe recommended to improve their cognition and reduce barriers to CRC screening.