Future Health Today and patients at risk of undiagnosed cancer: a pragmatic cluster randomised trial of quality-improvement activities in general practice

Abstract

Background Diagnosing cancer in general practice is complex, given the non-specific nature of many presenting symptoms and the overlap of potential diagnoses. Aim This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Future Health Today (FHT) — a technology that provides clinical decision support, auditing, and quality-improvement monitoring — on the appropriate follow-up of patients at risk of undiagnosed cancer. Design and setting Pragmatic, cluster randomised trial undertaken in general practices in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. Method Practices were randomly assigned to receive recommendations for follow-up investigations for cancer (FHT cancer module) or the active control. Algorithms w..