Step 10: Strategies for increasing cancer screening participation among people who live remotely

“You can’t just drop in (for screening); you have to drive an hour.”[30]

- Woman, Ulong, NSW

People living remotely or very remotely are less likely to participate in bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening.^3,4,5
The number of GP services provided per person in ‘Very remote’ areas during 2010–2011 was about half that of major cities.³³
Following a positive iFOBT result, the diagnostic assessment follow-up rate of those living very remotely was 52.8% compared with 70.6% in major cities.³

Lack of access to health services (less availability of GPs, bulk bill services, out-of-hours services.³⁴
Travel time to health services.³⁰
Lower education and income.³⁴
Lack of privacy due to social or personal familiarity with health care providers (in small rural or remote towns).³⁴

Support your patients to understand their nearest BreastScreen NSW location by visiting breastscreen.nsw.gov.au and entering their postcode.
Encourage women to book online at book.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au.
Consider working with your local BreastScreen NSW service to organise a group booking for your remote and very remote patients.
Work in partnership with BreastScreen NSW and your PHN to support provision of transport for group bookings (your PHN may be able to provide more information about community transport services).
Consider delivering out-of-hours health clinics.
Use your practice data to actively encourage patients to attend cervical screening, and provide transport assistance where possible.
Integrate discussions about bowel and breast screening into cervical screening appointments, if age appropriate.
Use software prompts to support integration of cancer screening into routine care to maximise opportunistic screening.
Consider offering bulk billing to patients with health care cards.