As physicians, we hope to not only improve quality of life for our patients, but also help them live longer. Colorectal cancer deaths are widely agreed to be up to 90% preventable by regular screening with colonoscopy. A major barrier is getting people to participate in screening programs. Now that awareness is increasing, another limiting …
Five years ago, researchers in Ontario raised concerns about access and quality in privately owned clinics that performed colonoscopy, suggesting that the quality in these clinics was significantly below the standard of care in public hospitals. Privately owned clinics can be either for-profit or not-for-profit. Medical services provided at these private clinics are paid for …
Colon cancer screening is more effective than breast cancer screening, but uptake in Ontario is still low. Screening more individuals each year would prevent many needless deaths. Nurses can safely and effectively screen patients for colon cancer. Despite this, efforts to increase the number of screening procedures performed by nurses in Ontario are not widespread. …