Abstract Introduction
There is scope for improvement in the uptake of cervical, breast and bowel cancer screening. Health professional (HP) behaviours can support uptake. Behavioural science can link the barriers to enacting these behaviours, to recommendations for how to target them. The aim of this study was to develop recommendations to optimise the design of interventions targeting HPs' screening behaviours, addressing disjuncture between what research reports to be important barriers and what real-world interventions target.
Methods
A literature search, structured as eligible screening programmes and HPs, was developed to identify papers on barriers to HPs' screening behaviours. Barriers were coded using the theoretical domains framework (TDF). Interventions targeting HP behaviours in relation to uptake of the three screening programmes were identified via stakeholder consultation and coded using the behaviour change wheel and taxonomy of behaviour change techniques (BCTs). The codes were compared using pre-defined matrices to identify areas for improvement.
Results
Thirteen of fourteen TDF domains were identified across sixty papers; most commonly environmental context and resources, knowledge, and belief about consequences. Stakeholders identified 31 interventions, commonly designed to educate, train, or enable HPs to perform screening behaviours and delivered via communication/marketing or service provision. BCTs were often those designed to shape knowledge.
Conclusions
Interventions relied on information and resource provision and a limited range of BCTs, falling short of addressing the barriers identified from papers. Intervention recommendations include to make use of a wider range of intervention functions and BCTs and to encourage consideration of local issues and solutions. External funding details