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Knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian physicians towards colorectal cancer screening.

Hamideh Salimzadeh, Catherine Sauvaget, Mohammad Reza Alami Alamdari, Faraz Bishehsari, Alireza Delavari

The aim of the current study was to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Iranian physicians towards CRC screening. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 with participation of physicians. The survey explored patient-physician communication, physician’s knowledge, attitudes, and their routine practice about CRC screening. All analyses were done with the software STATA/MP, 13.0. A total of 123 physicians with mean age of 47.2 years participated in the survey. Colonoscopy was cited as a first-step screening test in average-risk individuals aged ± 50 years by 71 (57.7%) physicians followed by FOBTs in 22 (17.9%). Around two-thirds (65.0%) of the physicians reported prescribing colonoscopy in their routine clinical practice. Participants reported recommending CRC screening in healthy individuals aged 50- 75 years (87.9%) and relatives of CRC patients (86.2%). Of note, the majority of physicians (89.4%) consented to screening policy in people aged ≥ 50 with symptoms suggestive of CRC. Individual-related factors affecting CRC screening from physician’s perspective were individual’s awareness towards a test (78.1%), family support (74.0%), fear of pain from the test or procedure (70.0%), fear of tests complications (68.3%), fear of tests results (66.7%), preparation for the test (63.4%), and embarrassment of the test (61.8%). Our survey indicates that Iranian physicians are ready to play an appropriate and supportive role in the context of CRC screening. However, test recommendation for CRC screening and targeting eligible individuals might be not fully appropriate.