dc.contributor.author | Price, SJ | |
dc.contributor.author | Spencer, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Medina-Lara, A | |
dc.contributor.author | Hamilton, W | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2019-01-16T16:09:26Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2019-05-07 | |
dc.description.abstract | Background Decision-support tools quantify the risk of undiagnosed cancer in symptomatic patients, and may help general practitioners (GPs) when making referrals.
Aims: To quantify the availability and use of cancer decision-support tools (QCancer® and Risk Assessment Tools). To explore the association between tool availability and two-week-wait referrals for suspected cancer.
Design and setting: Cross-sectional postal survey in UK primary care.
Methods: 4,600 GPs from a random sample of 975 UK general practices were invited to participate. Outcome measures included the proportions of UK general practices where: (1) cancer decision-support tools are available, and (2) at least one GP uses the tool. Weighted least-squares linear regression with robust errors tested the association between tool availability and number of two-week-wait referrals, adjusting for practice size, sex, age and index of multiple deprivation.
Results: 476 GPs in 227 practices responded (response rates: practitioner, 10.3%; practice, 23.3%). Cancer decision-support tools were available in 83/227 (36.6%, 95% confidence interval 30.3% to 43.1%) practices. Tools were available and likely to be used in 38/227 (16.7%, 12.1% to 22.2%) practices. In sub-group analyses of 172 English practices, there was no difference in mean two-week-wait referral rate between practices with tools and those without (mean adjusted difference in referrals per 100,000: 3.1, -5.5 to +11.7).
Conclusions: This is the first survey of cancer decision-support tool availability and use. It suggests that the tools are an underused resource in the UK. Given the cost of cancer investigation, a randomised controlled trial of such clinical decision-support aids would be appropriate. | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) | en_GB |
dc.identifier.citation | Published online 07 May 2019. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.3399/bjgp19X703745 | |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 16/12/04 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/35495 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Royal College of General Practitioners | en_GB |
dc.rights | © British Journal of General Practice 2019. This article is Open Access: CC BY 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). | |
dc.title | Availability of cancer decision-support tools: A cross-sectional survey of UK primary care | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2019-01-16T16:09:26Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1478-5242 | |
dc.description | This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Royal College of General Practitioners via the DOI in this record. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.journal | British Journal of General Practice | en_GB |
dc.rights.uri | http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved | en_GB |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2018-11-26 | |
exeter.funder | ::National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) | en_GB |
rioxxterms.version | AM | en_GB |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2018-11-26 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | en_GB |
refterms.dateFCD | 2019-01-15T16:04:13Z | |
refterms.versionFCD | AM | |
refterms.dateFOA | 2019-05-09T09:57:11Z | |
refterms.panel | A | en_GB |