The long-term objective of this project is to apply expert system technology to provide technical assistance to health professionals in the planning, implementation, and management of community-based cancer prevention programs, especially for minority and other high-risk populations. The specific Phase I aim is to test the feasibility of this system by: (1) evaluating the health education science base for its potential encapsulation; (2) investigating the needs of health professionals for such technical assistance; (3) reviewing hardware and software resources for development; and (4) completing a comprehensive design document for Phase II development and testing. The proposed methods will include: (1) comprehensive literature review; (2) consultation with community-based programs; (3) conduct two focus groups (program directors; experts in expert systems, community organization, cross-cultural communications, and cancer prevention and control); (4) defining the scope of application for the feasibility study; and (5) development of detailed specifications for the development and implementation of the expert system in Phase II. Currently, expert system technology has received limited application in community programming, cancer prevention, or reducing risk among high-risk populations. The expert system resulting from Phase II will consist of software with broad application as means of planning community-based cancer prevention initiatives, particularly for minority and other high-risk populations.
