Faecal immunochemical tests for occult blood testing should not be used outside of bowel screening: an audit of a large general practice.

INTRODUCTION The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) detects small quantities of human haemoglobin in faeces. This test has increasingly become the screening tool of choice in bowel cancer screening programmes worldwide, including New Zealand's upcoming national screening programme. AIM This study audited the appropriate use of faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in general practice as current recommendations discourage the use of FIT outside the National Bowel Screening Programme.