New test kit available for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program

The immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) kit, along with associated pathology services, was introduced into the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (the Program) in the first week of January.
 
The new test kit – an Eiken kit, OC Auto-sampling Bottle 3, using the Pledia analyser – has been designed to enhance user-friendliness. According to the Department of Health (DoH), the kit was improved according to feedback from Program participants, focus groups, experts, stakeholders and advisory group members. In addition, the kit will be continuously improved throughout its first year of implementation.
 
The previous test kit used under the Program is no longer available.
 
The Program, which commenced in 2006, is a population-based screening structure that is designed to aid in the early detection of bowel cancer and reduce the number of Australians who die from the disease each year. Eligible people aged 50–74 are invited via mail to complete a test kit at home and send it to the Program’s pathology laboratory for analysis (at no cost).
 
The DoH has also produced a number of resources as part of the Program to support the introduction of the new kit:

• Home test kit instruction brochure
• Consumer information booklet
• ‘How to do the test’ video 
• New kit questions and answers

• Information sheet for GPs to assist with encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the Program, as well as an Information sheet for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and nurses
• Poster and postcard to encourage patients to do the test when it arrives in the mail, or check when their test will arrive

bowel-cancer National-Bowel-Cancer-Screening-Program