Redesign of NCI Risk Assessment Tools for Breast and Colorectal Cancers
, by DCEG Staff
The risk tools calculate a patient's risk of developing cancer and provides a comparison to the average risk for patients of the same age and race/ethnicity in the US population.
In collaboration with the NCI Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL) and the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT), DCEG communications and scientific staff undertook a redesign of the user interface of the NCI risk assessment tools. These web tools allow health professionals to quickly assess patients’ risk of developing one of three cancers—breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and melanoma—all of which have actionable screening protocols or other interventions for early detection and prevention.
The breast cancer risk assessment tool (BCRAT) and the colorectal cancer risk assessment tool (CCRAT) launched earlier this fall; the redesigned melanoma tool is expected by the end of 2018.
The main upgrades to these tools include a usability-tested user interface and results page, enhanced security features, fully accessible and responsive design, and adoption of the contemporary Cancer.gov web style. In addition, BCRAT was updated with data from Hispanas/Latinas; latest incidence rates will be added to the melanoma tool.
This set of risk communications products advance the Institute’s mission to improve cancer prevention and detection, and make information accessible across the United States, especially in settings where access to online information is predominately possible through handheld devices that require responsive design.