Evaluation of Louisiana's Comprehensive Cancer Control Program

Comprehensive cancer control (CCC) is “an integrated and coordinated approach to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality through prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation.” The cornerstone of Louisiana CCC is partnerships and the state plan. Ongoing evaluation of the partnerships, progress in implementing the plan, and the impact of the plan is necessary to assess effectiveness, Methods: The partnerships are evaluated on the level of involvement and satisfaction of members on domains such as: respect, power, agreed upon goals, and communication. Evaluating the progress toward the strategies in the plan is accomplished through in depth interviews with lead partners. Areas explored include: project timelines; next steps; barriers preventing accomplishment of activities; and revisions to the strategy necessary to enable accomplishment. The impact of the plan is evaluated by using short, intermediate, and long term outcomes. Each outcome is accompanied by a quantitative measure such as data available through the state tumor registry and Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Results: Ongoing and midcourse evaluation revealed accomplishments in achieving the objectives of CCC plan. It also revealed shortcoming in the implementation process and specific strategies in need of correction or no longer feasible. For example, as a result of evaluating 82 strategies midway through the five year life of the plan, six were considered no longer feasible. Conclusion: A multifaceted evaluation plan is a vital part of CCC. It helps assure strong partnerships and allows correction of strategies when necessary, keeping the process on track toward achieving the goals and objectives.