Results of a health systems approach to identify barriers to population-based cervical and colorectal cancer screening programmes in six European countries

Eleanor Turnbull, Jennifer Priaulx, Inge M.C.M. de Kok, Iris Lansdorp-Vogelaar, Ahti Anttila, Tytti Sarkeala, Carlo Senore, Nereo Segnan, Marcell Csanádi, János Pitter, Dominika Novak Mlakar, Urska Ivanus, Piret Veerus, Harry J. de Koning and Martin McKee

Health Policy, 2018, vol. 122, issue 11, 1206-1211

Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify barriers to effective cervical and colorectal cancers screening programmes in Europe. The Barriers to Effective Screening Tool (BEST), based on a health systems approach, was completed by teams of three to six experts on cancer screening in each of the six countries involved in leading the EU-TOPIA project (TOwards imProved screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer In All of Europe). While the basic components of screening systems and the challenges they face, such as low participation, are similar, there are also many differences, both in the structures underpinning particular functions, such as maintenance of populationregisters and monitoring outcomes, and the ways that they operate. Many of these lie outside the strict organisational boundaries of screening programmes. BEST offers a means to identify and prioritise issues for further detailed exploration. The holistic health systems approach to assessing barriers differs from previous approaches. Those focus on individual characteristics that determine participation. The approach described here provides additional opportunities to improve outcomes with measures that are largely within the control of those managing the health system.

Keywords: Cancer screening; Health systems; Colo-rectal cancer; Cervical cancer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851018303853
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:122:y:2018:i:11:p:1206-1211

DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.08.005

Access Statistics for this article

Health Policy is currently edited by Katrien Kesteloot, Mia Defever and Irina Cleemput

More articles in Health Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu () and ().