Physician Data Query (PDQ) is a comprehensive set of over 300 statements about cancer that is compiled and distributed by the National Cancer Institute. These statements are made available in a flat-file text-based format over the Internet. Approximately 150 of the statements relate directly or indirectly to breast cancer. The goal of this proposal is to extend the usefulness of all the breast cancer related PDQ statements by converting them into """"""""hypermedia"""""""" format and distributing them on an existing cancer- dedicated """"""""World-Wide-Web"""""""" server over the Internet. These documents will be electronically indexed to facilitate users' searches. User-friendly menus will be provided to enhance the ease of document selection and retrieval. Finally, log files will be maintained and used to tabulate resource utilization. This project will be implemented in multiple stages. In the initial (developmental) stage we will formulate, test, and refine """"""""rules"""""""" to govern the conversion process. This will be done in close collaboration with members of the International Cancer Information Center (ICIC), who are the maintainers of PDQ. In the second (implementation) stage, the remaining breast cancer-related PDQ statements will be converted in strict compliance with rules established in phase I, and in the third (maintenance) stage, converted documents will be periodically updated and their Spanish counterparts will also be converted. To evaluate our success, we will provide interactive on-line surveys with questions directed at the quality and usefulness of the resource. We will also make statistical comparisons between numbers of accesses of flat-file PDQ statements and the enhanced ones created herein. We believe this project will result in the establishment of a resource that will extend the usefulness of the PDQ breast cancer statements, reach a wider audience, and provide cancer-related educational material in an innovative fashion.
