In order to support the implementation of effective cancer control programs and increase usage of Research-Tested Intervention Programs (RTIPs) the Implementation Science team launched a new design for the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Evidence-Based Cancer Control Programs (EBCCP) website in October of 2020. The EBCCP website provides evidence-based interventions and materials on a variety of implementation-ready cancer-related health topics (e.g., breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, diet and nutrition, HPV vaccination, informed decision making, obesity, physical activity, public health genomics, sun safety, survivorship/supportive care, and tobacco control).
The new approach for EBCCP includes integrating program adaptation guides to assist public health practitioners in adapting existing evidence-based intervention programs to their context, including case studies of program implementers’ experiences of implementing EBCCP programs, deploying updated communication plans to promote EBCCP, and archiving outdated programs. These efforts contributed to tremendous growth in EBCCP’s use. In March of this year, for example, EBCCP had over 10,000 visitors, about 2.5 times higher than the number of visitors in March 2020.
The EBCCP team continues to work to improve the program. The team’s top goals for 2024 include 1) improving outreach, 2) increasing website usage and enhancing user experience, and 3) creating new website content to better support users. To improve outreach, the team held a series of meetings with federal partners (e.g., American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) as well as an information session for program implementers. Across all of these avenues, we were able to reach 258 partners, who have a clear commitment to continuing collaboration with NCI and other federal and national agencies to drive innovation and implementation. With the goal of increasing website usage and enhancing user experience, the team is conducting usability testing, having conversations with new and experienced users, and searching for ways to improve navigation and visual appearance. To create new website content, the EBCCP team is actively working with National Institutes of Health’s biomedical librarians and informationists to conduct ongoing automatic literature searches.
We encourage principal investigators (PIs) and program developers to continue to refer or submit programs to be posted on the EBCCP website. Public submissions and referrals are essential to EBCCP progress and can be made using this form.
EBCCP program eligibility criteria include
- outcomes published in a peer-reviewed journal and evaluated within the last 10 years;
- one or more positive behavioral or psychosocial outcomes (p≤.05) among individuals, communities, or populations;
- outcomes demonstrated in at least one study using an experimental or quasi-experimental design;
- and messages, materials, or other components in English and available to share in a U.S. community or clinical setting.
The detailed submission and review process can be found here.
PIs and program developers can benefit from posting their programs on EBCCP. Benefits include a) the dissemination and broadening the reach of programs; b) increasing the visibility of programs (e.g., promotion to EBCCP newsletter subscribers and daily web visitors); c) the expert reviewer ratings and readability assessments; and d) high-quality program summaries. The EBCCP team remains grateful to participating PIs and program developers in helping to improve cancer control outcomes for patients across the country.
The EBCCP team is always working to increase implementation and dissemination of these programs in the areas and to the people in need and are grateful for your contribution to this resource. If you have any additional suggestions for improvements or other feedback, please reach out to me directly!
Jennifer Chang Damonte, MA, is a Program Analyst for the Implementation Science Team in the Office of the Director in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute. In this role, Jennifer provides organizational support and leadership for key Team initiatives, including the Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control (ISC3), the Consortium for Cancer Implementation Science (CCIS), and the Evidence-Based Cancer Control Programs (EBCCP) platform, among other activities.
Dispatches from the Implementation Science Team, is an episodic collection of short form updates, authored by members and friends of the IS team representing a sample of the work being done and topics that our staff are considering for future projects. Topics address some of the advances in implementation science, ongoing issues that affect the conduct of research studies, reflections on fellowships and meetings, as well as new directions for activity from our research and practice communities.