Impact on healthcare resources of switch from fecal occult blood test to fecal immunochemical test within the English Bowel Cancer Screening Program: a single-center study.

Abstract Background and Aims In July 2019, fecal immunochemistry testing (FIT) replaced fecal occult blood test (FOBt) in England as the Bowel Cancer Screening Program (BCSP) screening tool. We aimed to assess the impact of this on healthcare resources at our BCSP center. Methods Two 6-month periods were initially analyzed for stool sample return and positivity rates. Subsequent comparative analysis of patient screening episodes assessed utilization of Specialist Screening Practitioner (SSP) time, endoscopy, histology, radiology, surgical, and oncology service usage. Results A total of 42,234 patients received FOBt and 42,545 patients received FIT stool kits with FIT showing higher return (61.8% vs 58.58%, FIT vs FOBt, p Conclusions The implementation of FIT led to notable increases on SSP time, endoscopy procedures, radiology tests, surgical procedures and histopathology services resulting in considerable ongoing financial implications on the organization. Findings can be used to aid workforce and service planning in NHS sites delivering BCSP and countries who have already adopted or are considering FIT within their national screening programs.