Primary care physician compliance with colorectal cancer screening guidelines.

Objective: To assess self-reported compliance to colorectal cancer (CRC) screening guidelines among primary care physicians (PCPs) and to assess physician and practice characteristics associated with reported compliance.

Methods: Survey data from 984 PCPs in Arizona were used. Self-reported CRC screening practices, recommendations, and compliance with guidelines were assessed. Physician and practice characteristics associated with guideline compliance were also evaluated.

Results: While 77.5% of physicians reported using national screening guidelines, only 51.7% reported recommendations consistent with the guidelines. Younger physicians were significantly more likely to report compliance with screening guidelines (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.07-2.10) as were female clinicians (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.11-1.92). Physicians practicing in solo (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.19-0.58), group (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.21-0.62), or community health centers (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.17-0.81) were significantly less likely to report following guidelines as compared to those in academic practice. Guideline compliance was higher for fecal occult blood test (FOBT) (65.0%) than colonoscopy (56.7%); overuse of screening for these modalities was reported among 34.4% of physicians.

Conclusions: PCPs are not adequately following CRC screening guidelines. Further studies are needed to clarify the reasons for this lack of compliance, especially as guidelines become more complex.