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Cancer Control Research

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) We will develop and test the feasibility of using an Interactive Health Communication (IHC) tool to activate the colorectal cancer screening process within 10 rural primary care practice settings. A particularly unique feature of this study is the focus on a rural, low literate population that is generally medically underserved and specifically is less likely to participate in CRC screening. Approximately 700 patients, aged 50-80 years old with all levels of literacy, will be recruited into the study. Half of the patients will be exposed to the IHC and half will have data collected before the intervention is started. The intervention will be designed to accommodate the needs of individuals with low health literacy. During the two years of this developmental project we will collect patient, provider, practice and clinical data that will be used to enhance and assess colorectal cancer screening in the primary care practice. The specific scientific aims for this project are to: 1. Identify barriers and facilitators of CRC screening for patients, physicians, and office practices and use this knowledge to develop an intervention; 2. Establish the feasibility of an interactive health communication intervention for patients in the primary care practice to stimulate appropriate CRC screening; and 3. Describe tracking systems to monitor the completion of all recommended CRC screening procedures currently in use in PCPs. By the completion of this project we will have tested the intervention and data collection instruments, and collected the data necessary to plan an intervention trial.