Table 3 Results of the feasibility study: process indicators and critical points
Indicators | values | range among centres | critical points |
|---|---|---|---|
Program activation | |||
target population | 300000 | ||
N of centres started | 50% (10/20) | See discussion | |
population of active centres | 65922 (22,0%) | ||
the following data refer only to the active centres | |||
GPs participation | |||
% of GP that agreed to participate | 10,8% (57/526) 60,0% (57/95)$ | (0,0 – 90,0) | GPs were actually involved in only 6 centres: in some LHUs, administrative barriers prevented the participation; no interest by the GPs; some GPs initially agreed but never send the list of target population. |
Program extension (invited population/target) | |||
Total | 41,1% (65922) | Most of the GPs do not actively invite, but only distribute the tests opportunistically: difficult to exactly determine the contacted population. | |
GP | 21,0% (20315) | (42,2–8,0) | |
Hospital | 50,1% (45607) | (100,0–14,4) | Too slow invitation rhythm: the program did not cover the whole target population within the two-year period. |
Compliance to FOBT (proportion of returned test/invited population) | |||
all | 26,5% (27124) | ||
GP | 79,9% (4258) | (73,1 – 91,8) | Impossible to monitor what the GP does. The compliance is biased because of opportunistic strategies, without active invitation by the GP. |
Hospital | 16,6% (22866) | (4,7 – 34,1) | Low compliance: no accessibility |
Positivity rate | |||
7,1% (6908) | (3,2 – 9,2) | For 288 (%) tests the results were not available: high level of lost samples and lost responses. | |
Compliance to colonoscopy° | |||
49,1% (288) | (0,0 – 76,7) | Impossible to determine if missing data or low compliance. | |
Detection rate* | |||
Total | 17,1/1000 (N 71) | Very few centres input data correctly and timely. | |
cancer | 3,6/1000 (N 15) | ||
high grade adenomas | 13,5/1000 (N 56) | ||
Low grade adenomas | N 17 | ||
Waiting time for colonoscopy§ | |||
within 30 days from FOBT | 55,1% | Few colonoscopies due, but centres too busy. Very few centres input data correctly and timely. | |
31 and 60 days from FOBT | 22,8% | ||
after 60 days from FOBT | 22,1% | ||