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Screening Horizon Scanning, Volume 5 Issue 3

Final edition of Screening Horizon Scanning bulletin

Due to the declining number of suitable items, this will be the last of these Screening Horizon Scanning bulletins. Don’t forget you can still subscribe to a wide range of other Horizon Scanning titles – see the box on the right hand side of the page, or follow this link.

Meanwhile, the evaluation of the Horizon Scanning Bulletins referred to in the previous edition of this Bulletin remains open.

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Opportunistic screening for depression can improve carers’ health, says college

Source: British Medical Journal, BMJ 2013;346:f3099

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Date of publication: May 2013

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  Royal College of General Practice guidance for commissioners recommends opportunistically screening carers for depression during routine consultations. The recommendation is part of a series of proposals aimed at encouraging commissioners to invest in services for carers.  The College estimates that carers already save £119billion of public expenditure and that could be even more if there are sufficient measures in place to ensure the carers own health is maintained.

Length of publication: 1 page pdf

Some important notes: You will need an NHS Athens username and password to access this article. Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library

Cost effectiveness of the NHS breast screening programme: life table model

Source:  British Medical Journal 2013;346:f2618 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f2618

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Date of publication: May 2013

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Compared two cohorts, each of 360, 000 women, from the age of 50 for 35 years to ascertain cost effectiveness of breast screening.  One cohort was screened, the other unscreened. The study constructed life tables for the two groups employing a range of input and cost parameters. Concludes that there is a moderate possibility of a breast screening programme being cost effective under the current NICE criterion of £20,000 per QALY.  However, there is substantial scope for further randomised  trials to improve the evidence base for effects of modern techniques of digital mammography, surgery, radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Length of publication: *

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GPs braced for ‘enormous’ workload from vascular screening

Source: GP

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Date of publication: April 2013

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  Research indicates that the new programme of vascular screening will pick up more than 150,000 new cases – many more than the 20,000 initially predicted by the DH. The research, which was part-funded by the DH, was carried out by the University of Leicester. The figures, calculated from a sample of 3,707 patients, assume a take-up rate of 45%. If the programme reached the DH’s target for commissioners of 75%, then figures could be expected to be even higher.

Length of publication: webpage

Some important notes: This article is freely available. It includes a link to the original research here.

Screening Horizon Scanning, Volume 5 Issue 2

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Dementia checks in new DES contract for GPs

Title: GPs to check millions for dementia, DES plans show

Source: GP

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Date of publication: March 2013

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: The new directed enhanced services (DESs) for the GP contract in 2013/14 will include provision for dementia screening. Practices will be required to identify candidates for screening from a list of categories of at-risk patients and make an opportunistic offer during routine consultations. It is estimated that there are 2.4 million at-risk patients and that around half of them will be screened.

Length of publication: webpage

Some important notes: This article is freely available.

Screening Colonoscopy and Risk for Incident Late-Stage Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis in Average-Risk Adults

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, 2013, 158 (5), pp 312-20

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Date of publication: March 2013

Publication type: Research article

In a nutshell: Study of 1039 people, enrolled in four US health plans, at average risk for colorectal cancer to see if there is any association between screening colonoscopies and diagnoses of late stage colorectal cancer. It concludes that such screening is effective at preventing late diagnoses.  Colonoscopy was effective for both left and right sided colon cancer but sigmoidoscopy only demonstrated an association with left-sided colon cancer.

Length of publication: 9 page pdf

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Acknowledgement: BMJ Research News item, Colonoscopy screening for average risk adults? BMJ 2013;346:f1474

Feasibility of using plasma rather than serum in first and second trimester multiple marker Down’s syndrome screening

Source: Journal of Medical Screening, 2012, 19(4), pp 164-70

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Date of publication: December 2012

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Compared results from using maternal plasma and serum used in first and second trimester screening for Down’s syndrome from 101 pregnant women. Concluded that there was strong evidence that plasma samples were as effective as the current preferred method of using serum-based prenatal screening.  Notes that this may be particularly useful if there is a secondary screening process requiring plasma.

Length of publication: 7 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.