New-look bowel screening kit rolled out
The bowel screening test kit sent to people participating in the National Bowel Screening Programme has been redesigned and people are now being sent the new-look kit.
Following feedback that Māori and Pacific peoples found the current bowel screening test kit packaging unappealing, research was undertaken in 2020[1], and new designs were developed and tested with priority audiences. A preferred new design was selected.
The new-look kit:
- has simplified language, increased font size, and the inclusion of a te reo greeting (Kia ora)
- is visually more engaging for Māori and Pacific populations
- has clearer and simpler instructions for using the kit and returning the sample.
Other changes include:
- adding a QR code that takes people to videos about how to do the kit, available in te reo Māori and Pacific languages (this will be on the kits from May)
- making instructions on using the kit available in te reo Māori and Pacific languages, on the Time to Screen website.
The redesigned kit was tested in the Whanganui and MidCentral districts in the second half of 2022. Feedback about the new-look kit has been positive.
There will be a transition period where some people will still have the old kit, which they should use to send in their sample as usual.
[1] Quigley & Watts. 2020. Research on the National Bowel Screening Kit Report for Homecare Medical and the Ministry of Health. January 2020.
Homecare Medical. 2020. National Bowel Screening Programme Kit Redesign Recommendations. Prepared for the National Coordination Centre Steering Group