The effect of numeric information about the likelihood of receiving a false negative or false positive result on people’s attitudes towards colorectal cancer screening using faecal immunochemical test (FIT).

Miles, Anne and Paschalidi, Alexandra and Sharma, Navya (2023) The effect of numeric information about the likelihood of receiving a false negative or false positive result on people’s attitudes towards colorectal cancer screening using faecal immunochemical test (FIT). Patient Education and Counseling , ISSN 0738-3991.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the impact of numeric risk information about false negative (FN) and false positive (FP) rates in fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) on attitudes towards screening. Methods: 102 people aged 45 to 55, living in the UK, read 6 hypothetical vignettes presented online about the use of FIT kits to detect bowel cancer, in which information about FN and FP rates was systematically varied. Results: Numeric FN risk information reduced people’s interest in screening, perception of screening effectiveness and lowered trust in screening compared to verbal FN information. Verbal FN information reduced perceptions of screening effectiveness and trust compared to no FN information. People with high subjective numeracy reported lower trust in screening following the provision of numeric FN information but numeracy did not moderate any other associations. FP information did not affect attitudes towards FIT testing. Conclusion: Numeric FN risk information decreased people’s perceptions of screening effectiveness and trust in the results of screening. While it influenced people’s interest in screening, the effect was small. Practice Implications. Numeric FN information has a small effect on interest in screening and should be added to patient information in the interests of promoting informed decision making.

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