Your Clients May Not Raise the Subject of Bowel Screening – It Is Important That You Do
Research has shown that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would like their doctor, nurse or health worker to talk to them about bowel screening.
The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program offers many valuable patient-interaction resources supporting doctors, health workers and nurses to start the bowel screening conversation.
Resources include:
- Webinars
- Online training modules
- Fact sheets
- Patient education postcards
Another great interactive resource is the Indigenous Bowel Screen Facebook Video produced by Cancer Council Victoria promoting all three screening programs with Indigenous communities.
Bowel Cancer Screening Program manager, Chris Horn, appeared on NITV’s The Point, examining the high rates of bowel cancer in Indigenous communities and how they can be lowered. Watch the video here.
Bowel Cancer… You’re Never Too Young
‘You have bowel cancer.’
These are four words your patients won’t expect to hear if they are young.
It is a common misconception that bowel cancer is ‘an old person’s disease’, but the reality is that each year over 2,000 young Australians are diagnosed with bowel cancer. 1 in 7 Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer are under the age of 55. Being young does not make you immune.
Bowel Cancer… You’re Never Too Young is an initiative of Bowel Cancer Australia. The campaign provides resources designed for younger people to help them better understand their bowel cancer risk and take appropriate action. Awareness and action offer the best hope of reducing the number of younger Australians who die each year from bowel cancer.
- Following guidelines for modifiable bowel cancer risk factors such as diet and physical activity;
- Finding out your family’s cancer history;
- Knowing the bowel cancer signs and symptoms to look out for; and
- Early detection.
If caught in time, 90 per cent of bowel cancer cases can be successfully treated.
Locally, in 2016, the annual rate of participation for bowel screening among men and women aged 50-74 years is 41.8% on the Mid North Coast and 40.3% in Northern NSW. These rates are both statistically higher than the NSW rate of 37.8% (Cancer Institute NSW. Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes: Consolidated Performance Report, NSW, 2017. Cancer Institute NSW, Sydney (NSW); April 2018).
Bowel cancer risk is something people of all ages need to be aware of.
Learn more via HealthPathways:
For a list of all localised pathways see:
Mid and North Coast Localised Pathways
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