Embarrassment and fear put off patients.

• Position: Colorectal Cancer Testing

Improved communication between patients and primary care physicians increases the chances that those due for colorectal cancer screening will follow their doctors' advice and complete the procedure, a University at Buffalo (N.Y.) study has found. In addition, the more convenient the screening process is, the greater the chance patients will follow through and be tested, suggests Thomas Feeley, an associate professor who holds faculty appointments in communication, family medicine, and nursing.

Feeley's research--based on focus groups with patients, physicians, nurse practitioners, and physicians' assistants--found lack of time, patient reluctance, and difficulty in scheduling the test itself as reasons people ignored or failed to follow the recommendations made by their doctor. Physician recommendation and knowing someone who has or had cancer were the most common factors motivating patients' decisions to complete colorectal cancer screening, the study concludes.

The study identifies a host of reasons why patients whose doctors recommend they undergo this test avoid doing so. They include fear of the test and...