Clinical ScienceAcute care surgery: trauma, critical care, emergency general surgery … and preventative health?

•Assessment of compliance with current mammography/colonoscopy/vaccination screening recommendations in an acute care surgery population.•Overall compliance was 57%, which is below the national average.•There is an opportunity for improved compliance with preventative health/screening interventions in the acute care surgery population.

BackgroundAcute care surgeons (ACS) often care for patients with limited access to health care. They may not participate in preventative screenings and interventions (PSIs) such as mammography, colonoscopy, or pneumococcal vaccinations (VAs). We sought to identify barriers to compliance and determine if ACS have an opportunity to facilitate PSI participation.MethodsAll patients evaluated by an ACS were considered for inclusion in the study. Patients meeting national PSI inclusion criteria were enrolled. Surveys were administered to assess compliance and identify barriers to participation.ResultsThe overall compliance rate with PSIs was 57%. Patients without a primary care physician had a compliance rate of 23%. The most common barrier to participation was lack of knowledge of PSI recommendations (42%). Males were less compliant than females (47% vs 62%).ConclusionsACS evaluate a large number of general surgery and trauma patients. The acute care surgeon-patient encounter represents a valuable opportunity for education and improved PSI compliance. Additional research should focus on developing interventional strategies and evaluating their impact on patient outcomes.