*EMBARGOED All research presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting is strictly embargoed until Monday, October 17, 2016 at 8:00 am EDT.


Dr. Philip Vutien
Philip Vutien, MD

Poster 123 Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status (SES) Predicts Screening Colonoscopy Adherence for Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

Author Insight from Philip Vutien, MD, Rush University Medical Center

What’s new here and important for clinicians?

Socioeconomic data may serve as a publicly available resource for clinicians and researchers to identify patients who may benefit from initiatives to improve colonoscopy adherence. In a retrospective cohort study, we examined the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status and non-adherence rates for patients scheduled to undergo screening colonoscopy. Non-adherence was defined by the absence of a screening colonoscopy within one year of the initial scheduling date. We found that non-adherence rates were more than twice as high in patients from the lowest socioeconomic quartile (25%) as compared to higher socioeconomic quartiles (11.5%). Furthermore, lower socioeconomic neighborhood status remained a significant predictor of colonoscopy non-attendance after adjusting for ethnicity as a confounder.

What do patients need to know?

Our findings suggest that the neighborhood patients live in can influence their health care choices and outcomes. Barriers such as a lack of transportation, the time needed off from work, and many other factors may all disproportionately affect colonoscopy attendance rates for those from poorer neighborhoods. Further patient navigation, education and outreach efforts are needed to identify these barriers and help patients attend their colonoscopy appointments.

Read the Abstract

Author Contact

Philip Vutien, MD, Rush University Medical Center
Philip_vutien@rush.edu


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