Guidance for patient screening
Australia’s 3 national cancer screening programs aim to prevent cancer through regular testing and early detection. Learn about the programs and how you as a healthcare provider can play an important role in our breast, bowel and cervical screening programs.
Your role in encouraging cancer screening
As a healthcare provider you play an important part in the cancer screening programs.
Patients are more likely to take part in a program if a healthcare provider recommends participation. Sharing your knowledge about the screening programs with your patients:
- increases your understanding of the programs
- encourages them to participate.
Learn more about the role of healthcare providers in the:
- BreastScreen Australia Program
- National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
- National Cervical Screening Program.
The National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR)
You can access information about your patients’ participation in the National Cervical Screening and National Bowel Cancer Screening Programs through the NCSR.
Use their Healthcare Provider Portal to:
- check a patients’ bowel and cervical screening history
- order them a new bowel testing kit.
Clinical and screening guidelines
The following evidence-based clinical and screening guidelines are available to guide your decision making and help manage cancer screening with your patients:
Stay up to date
Keep up with changes to the screening programs:
Resources
Screening program resources
Health sector resources, including guides, fact sheets, are available for:
- BreastScreen Australia
- The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
- The National Cervical Screening Program.
Education and professional development resources
GP Cancer Screening Education Package. This online course provides information, resources, and tools to support GPs and their practice in their ongoing role to promote and manage patients through the 3 cancer screening programs (bowel, breast, and cervical).
It is an accredited activity under the professional development programs of the:
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioner’s (RACGP)
- Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
More cancer screening information
Learn more about the role of healthcare providers in our 3 screening programs.
