This research will plan and develop a World Wide Web educational site for patients and physicians to calculate an individual's risk for colon cancer and determine his or her personalized screening, surveillance, and prevention program. In addition, the site will provide users with multimedia, interactive tools to learn about his or her individual screening procedures. The educational design will include the use of virtual patients and an online virtual physician to teach patients the significance of colon cancer screening and what to expect when they receive screening examinations. A related site will provide primary care physicians with an interactive tool to assess a patient's risk for cancer and help to recommend the optimal screening modalities. The expected outcome of this research will be high-quality education on cancer screening and prevention that results in a greater percentage of at-risk individuals receiving appropriate screening and a decrease in the incidence, morbidity and mortality from colon cancer.
