A Multilevel Primary Care Intervention to Improve Follow-Up of Overdue Abnormal Cancer Screening Test Results

Abstract

ImportanceRealizing the benefits of cancer screening requires testing of eligible individuals and processes to ensure follow-up of abnormal results.ObjectiveTo test interventions to improve timely follow-up of overdue abnormal breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer screening results.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsPragmatic, cluster randomized clinical trial conducted at 44 primary care practices within 3 health networks in the US enrolling patients with at least 1 abnormal cancer screening test result not yet followed up between August 24, 2020, and December 13, 2021.InterventionAutomated algorithms developed using data from electronic health records (EHRs) recommended follow-up actions and times for abnormal screening results. Primary care practices were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to (1) usual care, (2) EHR reminders, (3) EHR reminders and outreach (a patient letter was sent at week 2 and a phone call at week 4), or (4) EHR reminders, outreach, and navigation (a patient letter was sent at week 2 and a navigator outreach phone call at week 4). Patients, physicians, and practices were unblinded to treatment assignment.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was completion of recommended follow-up within 120 days of study enrollment. The secondary outcomes included completion of recommended follow-up within 240 days of enrollment and completion of recommended follow-up within 120 days and 240 days for specific cancer types and levels of risk.ResultsAmong 11 980 patients (median age, 60 years [IQR, 52-69 years]; 64.8% were women; 83.3% were White; and 15.4% were insured through Medicaid) with an abnormal cancer screening test result for colorectal cancer (8245 patients [69%]), cervical cancer (2596 patients [22%]), breast cancer (1005 patients [8%]), or lung cancer (134 patients [1%]) and abnormal test results categorized as low risk (6082 patients [51%]), medium risk (3712 patients [31%]), or high risk (2186 patients [18%]), the adjusted proportion who completed recommended follow-up within 120 days was 31.4% in the EHR reminders, outreach, and navigation group (n = 3455), 31.0% in the EHR reminders and outreach group (n = 2569), 22.7% in the EHR reminders group (n = 3254), and 22.9% in the usual care group (n = 2702) (adjusted absolute difference for comparison of EHR reminders, outreach, and navigation group vs usual care, 8.5% [95% CI, 4.8%-12.0%], P < .001). The secondary outcomes showed similar results for completion of recommended follow-up within 240 days and by subgroups for cancer type and level of risk for the abnormal screening result.Conclusions and RelevanceA multilevel primary care intervention that included EHR reminders and patient outreach with or without patient navigation improved timely follow-up of overdue abnormal cancer screening test results for breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03979495

Improving follow‐up of abnormal cancer screening results

“…The results of two studies presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in October 2023 showed improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with untreated unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma treated with immunologic agents either added to or replacing standard treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy. 1,2 "There have been no advancements in first-line therapy for metastatic bladder cancer in over two decades," says Walter M.…”

“…The study was performed because of the lack of integrated systems for following up on these screenings. 1 "Few clinicians and practice networks have integrated population-management systems to comprehensively track all abnormalities and manage follow-up," says the lead author of the study, Steven J. Atlas, MD, MPH, director of the Practice-Based Research and Quality Improvement Network in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "As a result, timely follow-up of abnormal cancer screening results is not always achieved.…”