Abstract

It is estimated that in 2020, nearly 148,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 53,200 Americans will die from colorectal cancer (Siegel et al., 2020). One- half of all cases and deaths are due to modifiable risk factors such as diet and smoking and it has been shown that early screening and detection can greatly decrease the morbidity and mortality of colorectal cancer yet colorectal cancer related deaths still ranks among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States and the world. Early detection of colorectal cancer is crucial to reducing mortality and although this is known, the incidence of colorectal cancer diagnoses continues to increase annually in some age groups. Providers must ensure that education is being provided to patients about colorectal cancer and the benefits of early colorectal screening and detection. There are many options available to patients to detect colorectal cancer and the healthcare team must be supportive of the modality chosen by the patient. This benchmark project’s goal is to educate patients and providers on the importance of colorectal screening and the many methods available to patients. It is also important to decrease bias among physicians against the non-invasive colorectal screening methods. The goal is not to discredit the gold standard of colorectal screening, colonoscopy, but instead to allow the provider and patient to make an informed decision on a more patient personalized and less-invasive modality if colonoscopy is first refused. This could result in more patients adhering to a colorectal screening regimen that otherwise would not because colonoscopy was the only method offered to them. It is important to note that although colonoscopy is the gold standard for colorectal screening, colonoscopy is only beneficial to the patient if it is completed.

Date of publication

Summer 8-13-2020

Document Type

MSN Capstone Project

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/2653

Degree

Masters in Nursing

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