Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening Through the Implementation of a Standardized Toolkit at a Primary Care Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic left a national gap in preventative cancer care; more specifically, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening decreased by 82% in from April 2019 to May 2020. This left patients at risk for delayed early detection, disease progression, and mortality. Local Problem: Similarly, cancer screening at the Ellis R. Shipp Community Health Center in West Valley City, Utah, decreased by 63%. Methods: Clinic staff's CRC knowledge and perceived self-confidence to educate patients was evaluated on a pre- and post-intervention design. Feasibility, usability, and satisfaction were evaluated by the end of the project. Demographic information on clinic staff and patients were obtained from a pre-intervention survey and post-intervention data, respectively. Interventions: Educational resources to target staff were developed followed by the implementation of a standardized and culturally appropriate toolkit, all with the goal to increase Fecal Immunochemical testing (FIT) return rates by at least 30%. Results: The clinic's FIT return rate increased by 86% from baseline in a two-month intervention period. Staff confidence in educating and knowledge retention improved, while noting this project as sustainable. Conclusion: Increased staff education and implementing the FIT toolkit proved cost-effective in increasing FIT return rates and, consequently, CRC prevention at this local Community Health Center.