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Fisher DA, Voils CI, Coffman CJ, Grubber JM, Dudley TK, Vernon SW, Bond JH, Provenzale D. Validation of a questionnaire to assess self-reported colorectal cancer screening status using face-to-face administration. Digestive diseases and sciences. 2009 Jun 1; 54(6):1297-306.
Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-developed colorectal cancer screening questionnaire. METHODS: We conducted 36 cognitive interviews and made iterative changes to the questionnaire to improve comprehension. The revised questionnaire was administered face-to-face to 201 participants. The primary outcome was agreement between questionnaire responses and medical records for whether or not a participant was up-to-date for any colorectal cancer screening test. RESULTS: Comprehension of descriptions and questions was generally good; however, the barium enema description required several revisions. The sensitivity of the questionnaire for up-to-date screening status was 94%, specificity 63%, and concordance 88%. CONCLUSIONS: The modified questionnaire was highly sensitive for determining if a person was up-to-date for any colorectal cancer screening test, although the specificity was low. Given the difficulty of obtaining all relevant records, self-report using this questionnaire is a reasonable option for identifying people who have undergone testing.
