While bowel cancer affects both men and women, men are more likely to develop colorectal cancer and less likely to participate in screening. That combination makes bowel screening a particularly important, and often neglected, part of men’s health. For many men, the invite letter for BowelScreen arrives in the post, gets set aside, and is often forgotten, even though prevention or early detection can be lifesaving. This is where community pharmacy can make a real difference.
Community pharmacists are often described as the most accessible healthcare professionals in Ireland, and that accessibility is particularly important when conversations are uncomfortable or easily avoided. Bowel health is a good example.
For community pharmacists, this creates a genuine opportunity: to raise a topic others may avoid, to normalise a simple screening test, and to support men in the BowelScreen age range to act early, when treatment is most effective and outcomes significantly better.
International Men’s Health Week, which runs from 15 to 21 June 2026, highlights a long-standing reality: men continue to experience a disproportionate burden of preventable ill health and are more likely to die younger than women. Across many conditions, they are less likely to engage with preventive health services, more likely to delay seeking help, and more likely to present later, when treatment becomes more complex. The 2026 theme, “One Step at a Time”, is particularly relevant in a community pharmacy context. It emphasises progress over perfection and focuses on small, achievable actions that can meaningfully improve long-term health. For men in the screening age range, bowel screening is exactly that kind of step — straight-forward and potentially life-saving.
Bowel cancer remains one of the most common cancers in Ireland and a leading cause of cancer-related death, yet screening uptake among eligible men remains consistently lower than among women. The reasons are familiar in day-to-day practice: men are less likely to engage with preventive care, changes in bowel habit are often normalised or ignored, and discomfort around discussing bowel health remains a barrier. A persistent misconception also remains: “if there are no symptoms, there is no problem”. Addressing that misunderstanding is key, because screening is specifically designed for people who feel well.
For many older men, the local pharmacy is their most frequent point of contact with healthcare services, whether collecting repeat prescriptions for long-term conditions, attending for vaccination, or seeking advice for minor illnesses. These everyday encounters create valuable opportunities to raise bowel health in a way that feels natural rather than forced.
In this context, Men’s Health Week does more than raise awareness. It offers a timely opportunity to act, creating space for conversations about men’s health that feel expected and easier to initiate, and helping to normalise bowel screening as part of routine preventive care.
Ireland’s national bowel cancer screening programme, BowelScreen, offers free screening every two years to eligible adults. The test used is the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which is completed at home and is designed for people without symptoms. The programme includes adults aged 57 to 71 years, extending previous eligibility in recent years, with further phased expansion planned. This reflects growing evidence that earlier screening can improve outcomes and is both clinically and cost effective. For community pharmacists, these changes have practical implications. As eligibility expands, pharmacists are increasingly likely to be asked about invitations, age thresholds, and FIT testing. A clear understanding of the programme supports confident, consistent communication and strengthens public trust in BowelScreen.
For pharmacy teams, one of the most important messages to reinforce is the distinction between screening and diagnosis. It is reassuring to inform patients that most people get a normal result. It is not something to be feared. Screening is for those who feel well. Symptoms should always prompt medical review.
A normal screening result does not rule out cancer in someone experiencing concerning symptoms. That distinction is essential in preventing false reassurance and ensuring timely referral when needed. It is also important to emphasise that bowel screening does more than detect cancer. Screening can prevent cancer by identifying pre‑cancerous growths (polyps), which can be removed before they develop into cancer.
Patients who are eligible but have not received an invitation, or who need to request or replace a test kit, can do so via the BowelScreen register at www.hse.ie/bowelscreen.
Community pharmacists are not expected to diagnose cancer or replace primary care. Their role is often much simpler, and highly effective. A brief conversation can raise awareness, address misconceptions, and encourage action. In many cases, thirty seconds is enough to plant the idea.
Routine opportunities already exist within daily practice:
These are not additional consultations, but extensions of conversations already taking place.
Simple, direct language works best:
A confident, matter‑of‑fact approach helps reduce discomfort and normalise participation.
Many objections to bowel screening stem from uncertainty rather than refusal. Some men believe they do not need screening because they feel well. Others assume the test will be awkward or complicated. In reality, these concerns can often be addressed with reassurance.
Explaining that the test is completed privately at home, that it is straightforward to use, and that screening is designed specifically for people without symptoms can help shift perceptions. Equally important is emphasising that screening is repeated every two years because risk changes with age. In practice, most people who complete the test once are comfortable doing it again, almost everyone (89 per cent) who has taken part previously goes on to repeat the test when invited. The goal is not to pressure patients, but to make participation feel routine and manageable.
An important clinical responsibility for pharmacists is recognising when screening is not appropriate. Men should always be encouraged to seek GP assessment if they report:
A useful phrase is: “Even if your screening test is normal, it is important to check out any of these symptoms.”
This reinforces the pharmacist’s role as a trusted clinical signpost and helps ensure patient safety.
Ensuring the wider pharmacy team understands key screening messages and recognises eligible age groups is important, as a brief prompt from a staff member can often lead to a more meaningful follow‑up conversation with the pharmacist.
Men’s Health Week provides a timely and visible opportunity to support this work. Rather than being viewed as a standalone awareness event, it can act as a catalyst for conversations that might otherwise never happen, giving pharmacy teams a timely opportunity to raise the subject, in a way that feels relevant and expected. Used effectively, it can help normalise bowel screening and encourage longer‑term engagement with preventive care.
Older men remain one of the hardest groups to engage in prevention, yet the benefits of early bowel cancer detection are substantial. Community pharmacists are uniquely positioned to help close that gap, not through dramatic interventions, but through brief, everyday conversations that fit naturally into routine practice. Some of the most important healthcare moments happen quietly: during a prescription collection, a vaccination visit, or a passing exchange at the counter. When it comes to bowel health, that brief conversation may begin with one of the most important questions a pharmacist can ask: “Have you ever done the bowel screening home test?”
Further information can be found at on hse.ie/bowelscreen.
References available on request.
Photo caption CPD BowelScreen:
Dr Alan Smith (front), with (from left to right), Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon and patient partners Peter Larner and Mary Kennedy demonstrating the simple BowelScreen home test kit.
Dr Paul J. McCague,
Director of Education,
School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast
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