Building Grantees' Capacity to Implement Evidence-based Approaches for Cancer Control within the CDC's Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP)

Background:  Training and technical assistance (TA) are methods to increase the dissemination and uptake of evidence-based practices.  Twenty-nine states and tribal organizations receive Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening by promoting CRC screening population-wide using evidence-based approaches (EBAs) and by providing CRC screening to the un/underinsured. The purpose of this study was to assess grantees’ TA and training needs to increase EBA use for screening promotion.

Methods: An online survey about CRC screening activities and technical assistance was administered to the CRCCP grantees in Fall 2012.  Grantees identified EBAs, if any, for which training/TA was desired. Additional items assessed ratings of training need for EBA-related competencies (e.g., adaptation, evaluation), training preferences and barriers, and desire for training across various areas of program administration.

Results: The training needs most frequently reported by CRCCP grantees were provider assessment and feedback (69%), reducing structural barriers (55%), and provider reminders (41%).  Preferred approaches for capacity-building included: onsite training (62%), webinars (62%), and expert consultation (55%). Barriers to participating in training/TA were: limited application of examples to own context (55%), travel restrictions (41%), and content of education perceived as too basic (38%).  Partnership and program evaluation were ranked as highest training needs across grantees.   

Conclusions:  Future training and TA for CRCCP grantees should focus on implementation of organizational-level EBAs.  Additional capacity-building efforts to increase EBA competencies and more context-specific assistance, and focus on partnership development and program evaluation skills will offer critical support to increasing EBA use.