General practitioner perspectives on barriers and enablers to bowel cancer screening in rural Tasmania: a thematic analysis of face-to-face interviews

Background and objectives

When detected early, nine in 10 Australians with bowel cancer can be successfully treated, yet participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) remains low. The aim of this study was to identify enablers and barriers to bowel cancer screening in rural Tasmanian communities from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs).

Methods

Qualitative analysis of face-to-face interviews with eight GPs was used to determine factors that influence NBCSP uptake in four rural Tasmanian Local Government Areas.

Results

High workloads, competing priorities and not knowing when a patient received an NBCSP kit were identified as barriers to supporting the program, while practice reminder systems were seen to improve the likelihood of GPs recommending the program to patients.

Discussion

GPs are important for improving participation in the NBCSP. Incorporating GPs’ views of barriers and enablers for screening is key to improving NBCSP participation in rural Tasmania and Australia more broadly.