New iPad App Doubles Colon Cancer Screening Rates

Patients with colon cancer who used the iPad app were educated about different types of screening tests and were also able to order the test they wanted, which has drastically increased colon cancer screening.

A new iPad app developed helps educate patients about different options available for colon cancer screening and also allows them to order their preferred test.

The findings of a randomized controlled trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Novel Treatment Strategy Found for Colon Cancer Patients
Due to advances in screening techniques and improvements in treatments, the death rate from colorectal cancer has been dropping for over 20 years.

‘Colon cancer screening has doubled due to the education provided by the iPad app about various screening options.’

Screening for colon cancer has been proven to reduce mortality, yet more than one third of eligible Americans remain unscreened.

Researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine sought to determine if a digital health intervention delivered via iPad app could increase screening rates.

Researchers enrolled 450 patients in primary care who were due for colon cancer screening and agreed to participate in the study.

Target To Heal The Mucosal Lining, Prevent Colon Cancer
Mucosal healing may require more aggressive medical therapy early in the treatment course which may contradict treatment guidelines.

The participants were randomly assigned to colon cancer education through the iPad app or usual care.

Patients using the iPad app were educated about different types of screening tests and could order the test they wanted.

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Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contain bioactive compounds that reduce the risk of developing colon cancer.

Patients in both groups took a brief survey about colon cancer screening.

Patients who received education and reminders through the app were twice as likely to undergo screening compared to patients in the usual care group (30 percent versus 15 percent, respectively).

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The authors of an accompanying editorial from the Center for Health Care Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania caution that the study was limited to primary care patients who had already agreed to participate in the research, which means that the results may not translate to a broader population.

They suggest that improvements in colon cancer screening will more likely arrive incrementally from compound interventions that involve technology, education, and behavior.

Source-Eurekalert