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Country/JA: iPAAC logo iPAAC
Action type: Policy recommendations

Problem: There is diversity and shortcomings of how cancer screening programmes and their governance or implementation are organized.

Objective: The objective is to give guidance in an easy to access form, including strong visuality, to advance better governance of cancer screening.

Implementation status: Fully implemented

Key Contextual Factors

National structures for governance of screening are here identified as important requirements for evidence-based decision-making and for establishing adequate legal, financial and organizational frameworks for effective cancer screening programmes with integrated quality assurance. Based on the assessment of governance structures in Member States we recommend transparent, structured and publicly documented decision-making, informed political commitment and broad stakeholder involvement to build strong professional support for the aims and means of the screening programme.

  • The infographs give further advice and guidance for the development and implementation of cancer screening in the EU Member States in accordance with the EU Council recommendation and the current European quality assurance guidelines.
  • Legal frameworks are necessary to run and monitor organized programmes and evaluate their outcomes; in addition, appropriate human and financial resources are needed for assuring the appropriate organization and quality control.
  • Ministry of health, national screening board, steering board for every screening programme, national or regional management teams with advisory board.
  • Socio-economic and/or societal challenges related to the example.

Key Components/Steps

The theoretical model includes the following steps for governance of a screening programme:

  • consensus building and pre-planning;
  • planning, feasibility and policy;
  • piloting;
  • national rollout;
  • continue, modify or discontinue.

Main Impacts / Added Value

  • Cancer screening programme is not a simple test but a chain of actions and a process. By participating in a well-designed and implemented programme with proper follow-up and evaluation reduces cancer risk on population level, keeps harms at an acceptable level and saves financial resources arising from cancer treatments, when early detected cancer is usually easier to treat.

Lessons Learned

  • The theoretical model is made easy access and mobile-friendly form. The online model will be tested and user feedback can be adapted to the original infograph model. It is easy to promote and share with multiple communications channels.

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References and Documentation

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