Abstract
General practitioners and gastroenterologists have gained a lot of experience in colorectal cancer screening in the Czech Republic over the last 15 years. However, interdisciplinary collaboration in the literature has not yet been given the attention it deserves, either locally or internationally.
This article focuses on the various aspects of collaboration between general practitioners and gastroenterologists, with an emphasis on the limited capacity of colonoscopic centers in newly-established population screening with central invitation. Method: The aim of the study was to explore waiting times for colonoscopy at centers accredited for colonoscopy screening between regions, and between outpatient clinics and hospital centers.
The study was conducted in April 2015 and the data were collected from a telephone survey. Results: We collected data from 166 centers.
The average waiting time at all the surveyed screening centers was 64 days. The average waiting time was longer (70.8 days) in Bohemia than in Moravia (53 days).
Other differences (hospital vs. out-patient clinic, and regional differences) were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The length of the waiting time complicates interdisciplinary collaboration and endangers the optimal functioning of colorectal cancer screening in the Czech Republic.
The situation requires technical (increase in cut-off) and organizational (increase in the capacity of colonoscopic centers) measures.