The patient's education level and cognitive function may influence the performance of the FIT test at home

The patient's education level and cognitive function may influence the performance of the FIT test at home

While many patients find at-home colorectal cancer screening tests (known as fecal immunochemical tests, or FIT) more convenient than those performed in the clinic, FIT detection depends on the patient carefully following the instructions provided.

This may be more difficult if the user has undiagnosed cognitive impairments. In a new study, researchers distributed a simple cognitive test to 1,448 patients alongside at-home FITs to determine whether mild, undiagnosed cognitive impairment could be leading to an increase in invalid samples.

Eleven percent of completed FIT stool samples were collected incorrectly, with approximately 25% of the incorrect samples submitted by people who tested positive for cognitive impairment. The most common collection errors included too much stool in the bottle; Stool at the wrong end of the bottle; and stools on the wrong side of the slide.

In addition, the researchers found that patients with an education level of eighth grade or less were also more likely to make errors in the survey process. The results suggest that healthcare professionals should consider patients' education level and cognitive function before asking them to perform a FIT test at home.

Source:

American Academy of Family Physicians

Reference:

Daly, J.M., et al. (2022) Clock-drawing test as a screening tool for cognitive impairment associated with fecal immunochemical test detection errors. Annals of Family Medicine. doi.org/10.1370/afm.2855.

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