title: Improving colorectal cancer screening in family medicine: an Oklahoma Physicians Resource/Research Network (OKPRN) study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) practices across a variety of primary care clinics and identify the methods used by primary care physicians (PCPs) with higher rates of CRCS ("exemplars").
  
  
  METHODS
  Physician questionnaires, structured interviews, medical record abstractions, and practice observations were conducted for 48 PCPs in 25 practices within a regional practice-based research network followed by secondary in-depth interviews to further investigate the practices of PCPs in the top quartile of CRCS rates ("exemplars").
  
  
  RESULTS
  We abstracted 3596 medical records (mean of 75 records per PCP). Overall, exemplars had higher CRCS rates (median, 57.2% vs. 27.6%; P < .001). Patients of exemplars had higher screening rates for fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) and colonoscopy but not for flexible sigmoidoscopy or double-contrast barium enemas. Exemplars adopted few of the system-based innovations proposed by researchers to improve CRCS. Colonoscopy was promoted as the preferred CRCS method. FOBT was recommended for patients who could not afford or did not want colonoscopy. Flexible sigmoidoscopy or barium enemas were rarely recommended. Exemplars used brief CRCS promotion scripts that informally paralleled theory-driven counseling techniques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Experienced PCPs use brief CRCS promotion scripts including counseling techniques that improve CRCS performance. Future research should be directed toward whether these techniques can be used to create an intervention aimed at PCPs to improve CRCS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. dewey-scheid@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Dewey C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Scheid
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hamm
authors.forename: Kalyanakrishnan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramakrishnan
authors.forename: Laine H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mold
mesh_terms: D001466:Barium Sulfate; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003287:Contrast Media; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D004733:Enema; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007348:Insurance, Health; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D009825:Oklahoma; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012812:Sigmoidoscopy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D001466:Barium Sulfate
keywords: Cancer Screening; Colorectal Cancer; Practice-based Research; Prevention; Primary Health Care