Interactive Telehealth Intervention to Increase Longitudinal Adherence to Repeat Faecal Immunochemical Test Screening

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: CRC, Colorectal Cancer

Treatments: Behavioral: TI group

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06261008

2023.553

Details and patient eligibility

About

In Hong Kong, Colorectal cancer ranks second in both cancer incidence and mortality. The government-subsidized population-based CRC screening program (the Program) was launched for asymptomatic individuals aged 50-75 years to undergo biennial FIT screenings. A subsidized follow-up colonoscopy is offered to participants with positive FIT results. Participants are advised to repeat the FIT screening 2 years after receiving a negative result. An automated noninteractive short message service (SMS) text reminder, used by the Program as standard care (SC), is delivered to participants who are due for repeat FIT. According to unpublished data, despite SC, only 34% of participants adhere to biennial repeat FIT in the CRC screening program. Nonadherence to repeat FIT screening is caused by forgetfulness and is associated with an individual's psychological health behaviour.

Full description

Eligible subject will be randomised to either the TI group or SC group. All subjects will receive an automated SMS text reminder delivered by the Program as the standard care.

Subjects randomized to the TI group will receive the SC as well as an interactive TI with interactive health education messages via a WhatsApp-based chatbot on the repeat FIT due date. All subjects will be followed up on WhatsApp at 3 months after their repeat FIT due date and asked about their repeat FIT status.

Subjects will be invited to participate in four focus group discussions to elucidate how the study intervention influences repeat FIT adherence behaviours, explore the complexity of regular FIT screening, and reveal, based on the participants' accounts, the barriers to and facilitators of their adherence to the repeat FIT screening. The discussion will be audiotaped.

Enrollment: 370 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50 to 75 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 50-75 years old
• already enrolled in the Program with negative FIT results in 2022
• eligible for the Program inclusion and due for repeat FIT screening in 2024
• either the participants themselves or their family members / caregivers have access to and agree to be contacted via WhatsApp
• ability to understand Chinese

Exclusion criteria

• who have incomplete conversations with the chatbot, lack of access to WhatsApp, or are unable to provide informed consent will be excluded

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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370 participants in 2 patient groups

Standard Care

No Intervention group

Description:

An automated noninteractive short message service (SMS) text reminder, used by the Program as standard care (SC), is delivered to participants who are due for repeat FIT.

Telehealth Intervention group

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects randomized to the Telehealth Intervention (TI) group will receive the SC as well as an interactive TI with interactive health education messages via a WhatsApp-based chatbot on the repeat FIT due date. All subjects will be followed up on WhatsApp at 3 months after their repeat FIT due date and asked about their repeat FIT status.

Treatment:

Behavioral: TI group