{
  "abstract": "Background The overall rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the US population have been declining steadily over the past 30 years, in large part due to timely cancer screenings. Despite the emergence of new screening modalities, a large portion of the population has not completed CRC screening in accordance with guidelines. Adequate and timely screening can prevent or detect CRC in earlier stages. Various factors have been identified that influence screening completion. Lower screening rates have been associated with the underserved population, especially in the immigrant community and patients with inadequate access to healthcare. In the USA, primary care clinics associated with internal and family medicine residency programmes often serve as catch-net clinics for the community, serving to provide care to those with a higher burden of social determinants of health.Objective We aimed to increase the rates of CRC screening in a primary care clinic associated with the internal medicine residency programme of a large healthcare system. In October 2021, the clinic had a CRC screening rate of 55.40%.Methods This prospective quality improvement study was implemented from July 2022 to January 2025 at the resident-run clinic. Data on CRC screening completion were analysed monthly.Interventions Six Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles were implemented over the course of the project. These interventions were developed from results of root-cause analyses as well as feedback from patients and providers.Results CRC screening rates rose from 55.40% to 65.79% over the period of interest with the implementation of sequential targeted interventions.Conclusions Underserved patients are at higher risk of CRC screening incompletion. Multifaceted interventions and multidisciplinary collaboration are essential for increasing CRC screening in this vulnerable population.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical Education, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Vivek Vardhan Jasti"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical Education, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Sarah N Grebennikov"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical Education, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Mariah Barlow"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Ohio Gastroenterology Group Inc, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "David Y Lo"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Ohio Gastroenterology Group Inc, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Shail M Govani"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical Education, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Miram Chan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical Education, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Aimee E Willett"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical Education, OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Christopher Barlow"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Longitudinal quality improvement project to increase colorectal cancer screening for an underserved population in a resident physician-led primary care clinic",
  "uid": "5adf87ee-9a57-58f8-8c9a-df3b4b01375d"
}