Abstract
BACKGROUND: Improving uptake of colorectal cancer screening has the potential of saving thousands of lives. We compared the effectiveness of automated and live prompts and reminders as part of a mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach program. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were 1767 adults aged 50 to 75 eyars who were not up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening recommendations at a participating community health center clinic. In addition to a mailed FIT kit, participants were randomized to receive (1) a text message prompt and 2 automated phone call reminders (automated condition); (2) up to 3 live call reminders (live condition); or (3) a text message prompt, 2 automated call reminders, and up to 3 live reminders (combined automated plus live condition). We assessed FIT completion rates in each group 6 months following randomization. KEY RESULTS: Nearly one-third of participants completed an FIT within 6 months. Compared with adults allocated to the automated condition, FIT completion rates were higher in adults allocated to the live condition (32.3% vs 26.0%; adjusted difference, 6.3 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.1-11.4) and in adults allocated to the combined automated plus live condition (35.7% vs 26.0%; adjusted difference, 9.7 percentage points; 95% CI, 4.4-14.9). The number of kits needed to mail to achieve a completed FIT ranged from 2.8 in the combined automated plus live condition to 3.8 in the automated condition. CONCLUSIONS: Among unscreened individuals in this population, live phone call reminders either alone or in combination with automated prompts and reminders outperformed automated approaches alone.