NEW RESEARCH:Peter Schwartz, MD, PhD and Karen Schmidt, MSN, RN, recently published an article in the Annals of Internal Medicine that was one of the largest and best designed studies to see if personalized healthcare messaging can affect screening. The study found that personalized risk messages to patients and providers did not significantly increase colorectal cancer screening rates, or affect which tests they chose, compared to generic outreach approaches. In some subgroups, however, the risk information increased use of stool testing, a less invasive approach, rather than colonoscopy.
IMPACT: In the study by the Schwartz research team, personalized risk information had some significant effects, though limited and in only some subgroups of patients. Although giving patients personalized risk information to guide their screening decisions could be worthwhile, additional study is needed before implementation at scale.
For more details, read the full article here.