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Cancer Control Research

Abstract

DESCRIPTION: We propose to create online education courses for health care professionals that will enhance their ability to implement cancer prevention and screening programs. MDI has successfully produced and nationally marketed problem-oriented, evidence-based, online continuing education for physicians. We believe that online continuing education can improve on the well-recognized shortcomings of traditional lecture-based continuing education. During Phase I we will develop 4 online teaching modules dealing with skin cancer. Three of these modules will be targeted at primary care physicians and one will be targeted at non-physician clinicians. The initial evaluation process will use structured focus groups of 8-12 faculty members to assess clarity, acceptability and content. The pretest/posttest part of the Phase I evaluation will use nurses and physicians to measure the acceptability of the modules and their ability to increase knowledge. During Phase II we will develop teaching modules in 3 other areas of cancer prevention and screening. Each new module will be evaluated in a similar fashion as in Phase I. Additionally, during Phase II, all modules will be offered to providers via the Internet for continuing education. In Phase II chart or claims-based data from an HMO will be used to measure changes in provider performance.