Improving adherence to colorectal cancer surveillance guidelines: results of a randomised controlled trial

BMC Cancer

Table 1 Comparison of adherence classification using the old and new guidelines

	Guidelines recommendations
Examples	Old guidelines: Colonoscopy that visualises the entire colon should be performed at the time of diagnosis^a. If this is not possible, colonoscopy should be performed within 3–6 months of surgery. Colonoscopy should be performed 3–5 years after surgery.	New guidelines: Colonoscopy should be performed one year after the resection, unless a complete post-operative colonoscopy has been performed sooner.
	Classification of adherence
Colonoscopy at diagnosis; no colonoscopy reported at 12 month follow up	Adherent	Non-adherent
Colonoscopy at diagnosis; followed by colonoscopy 12 months later	Non-adherent	Adherent
Colonoscopy at diagnosis, and then another colonoscopy within 6 months of surgery	Adherent	Adherent
Colonoscopy 6 months post surgery; no subsequent colonoscopy reported at 12 month follow up	Adherent	Adherent
Colonoscopy 6 months post surgery; subsequent colonoscopy reported at 12 month follow up	Non-adherent	Non-adherent

^aWe were unable to tell if the colonoscopy performed at diagnosis visualised the entire colon. Therefore, any cases where this criteria was crucial to determining adherence were classified as adherent. For example if a colonoscopy was performed at baseline and then again at 6 months, we assumed that the diagnostic colonoscopy did not enable visualisation of the entire colon, and therefore classified the patient as adherent

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