Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

An evaluation of an Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) intervention in cancer prevention and survivorship care.

Milgrom ZZ, Severance TS, Scanlon CM, Carson AT, Janota AD, Vik TA, Duwve JM, Dixon BE, Mendonca EA. An evaluation of an Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) intervention in cancer prevention and survivorship care. BMC medical informatics and decision making. 2022 May 17; 22(1):135.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

To improve cancer care in Indiana, a telementoring program using the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model was introduced in September 2019 to promote best-practice cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship care by primary care providers (PCPs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the program''s educational outcomes in its pilot year, using Moore''s Evaluation Framework for Continuing Medical Education and focusing on the program''s impact on participants'' knowledge, confidence, and professional practice. We collected data in 22 semi-structured interviews (13 PCPs and 9 non-PCPs) and 30 anonymous one-time surveys (14 PCPs and 16 non-PCPs) from the program participants (hub and spoke site members), as well as from members of the target audience who did not participate. In the first year, average attendance at each session was 2.5 PCPs and 12 non-PCP professionals. In spite of a relatively low PCP participation, the program received very positive satisfaction scores, and participants reported improvements in knowledge, confidence, and practice. Both program participants and target audience respondents particularly valued three features of the program: its conversational format, the real-life experiences gained, and the support received from a professional interdisciplinary community. PCPs reported preferring case discussions over didactics. Our results suggest that the Cancer ECHO program has benefits over other PCP-targetted cancer control interventions and could be an effective educational means of improving cancer control capacity among PCPs and others. Further study is warranted to explain the discrepancies among study participants'' perceptions of the program''s strengths and the relatively low PCP participation before undertaking a full-scale effectiveness study.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.