Improving Cancer Screening in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Cancer screenings show a reduction in mortality and morbidity rates by early detection and prevention procedures. The most common types of cancer in the United States include breast, lung, prostate, colon, and melanoma. Primary care practices can increase the amount of cancer screenings completed by increasing provider knowledge and detecting cancer at earlier stages with the use of cancer screening guidelines. The purpose of this DNP project was to integrate routine cancer screenings into standards of care in this primary care practice through a quality improvement project with the goal of increasing cancer screenings in patients. Providers used data collection tools, which were a combination of the recommended cancer screening guidelines, during the three-month implementation period. Findings showed a 25% increase in post-project cancer screening compliance compared to the pre-project cancer screening compliance. Having cancer screening reminders for providers increases the chance of patients receiving the recommended screenings.