Telephone Reminders Improve Fecal Immunochemical Test Return Rates.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a structured telephone reminder system on completion rates of screening fecal immunochemical tests. METHODS: Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) return rates were compared among patients who received a telephone reminder after 14 days and those who did not receive a reminder. RESULTS: There was a significantly higher return rate among patients who received a telephone reminder. Automated FIT tracking processes failed to capture a significant percentage of returned FITs compared with manual tracking processes. DISCUSSION: These results support telephone reminders as an effective modality to increase FIT return rates.