Patient Adherence to Fecal Calprotectin Testing Is Low Compared to Other Commonly Ordered Tests in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Background Limited data exist on adherence to fecal calprotectin (FCP) testing in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Methods Completion rates for patients who had at least one FCP test ordered (n = 3082) and a subgroup with C-reactive protein, complete blood count, and Clostridium difficile tests also ordered (n = 1563) were analyzed. Results More patients completed blood than stool tests, with FCP having the poorest adherence of all tests analyzed. Older patients had higher FCP completion rates. No differences were noted in completion rates across age, gender, or ethnicity for blood tests. Conclusions Further studies are needed to develop strategies that improve the uptake of FCP. Lay Summary We investigated adherence to commonly ordered blood and stool tests (complete blood count, C-reactive protein, Clostridium difficile, and fecal calprotectin) in our inflammatory bowel disease patient population and found that approximately 50% of stool tests and 75% of blood tests are completed.