Learning in CancerSPACE

CancerSPACE (Simulating Practice and Collaborative Education) is a unique educational tool created to facilitate the cancer screening process for breast, cervical, and colon cancers. It was designed to supplement training for health care providers in approximately 1,300 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and addresses how to overcome barriers to cancer screening and improve clinic processes to achieve higher screening rates. Other health care facilities with similar structures and barriers may also find the tool useful for improving the cancer screening process.

The learning environment:

• Engages players to learn more about cancer screening best practices.
• Supplements in-service training with simulated clinical scenarios and patient-provider interactions.
• Teaches players the behaviors and actions that lead to increased screening rates.
• Provides evidence-based and actionable solutions designed to help clinics to increase cancer screening rates.

Try the Demo Now

While development of CancerSPACE is still underway, you can try the demonstration version now. The complete version of CancerSPACE is scheduled for release in Spring 2009.

For optimal performance, it is recommended that you use a computer that has at least 2 gigabytes of memory available. For more details on how to use CancerSPACE on your computer, go to How CancerSPACE Works.

What is the Purpose of CancerSPACE?

CancerSPACE is an interactive, Web-based learning application presented in a game format and is intended to augment in-person training of clinic staff in the FQHCs and other health care facilities that want to improve their cancer screening rates. FQHCs deliver primary care to uninsured and underinsured populations, including large numbers of ethnic and racial minorities. Data show that these populations are screened less frequently for breast, cervical, and colon cancers and exhibit marked disparities in cancer outcomes compared to the general population.

CancerSPACE is designed with particular attention to reducing these disparities in cancer care. It facilitates self-directed learning by presenting the "player" with real-world situations, requiring the player who is in the position of change leader (a.k.a. The Decider) to check the available evidence provided and make choices that lead to improving cancer screening rates. Ultimately, the goal is to increase cancer screening rates by showing health care providers how to overcome barriers and facilitate cancer screening. CancerSPACE incorporates aspects of e-learning, adult learning theory, and behaviorism to advance learning, promote knowledge retention, and encourage behavior change.

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