Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
E-Patient Counseling Trial (E-PACO): Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Effects of a tailored interactive multimedia computer program on determinants of colorectal cancer screening: a
Anthony Jerant1, Richard L Kravitz, Mairin Rooney
1Department of Family and Community Medicine (DF&CM), University of California Davis (UCD) School of Medicine (SOM), 4860 Y Street, Suite 2300, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States. afjerant@ucdavis.edu
Objective:
Screening reduces colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality and is cost-effective, yet uptake is suboptimal. We developed and evaluated a personally tailored interactive multimedia computer program (IMCP) to encourage CRC screening.
Methods:
Randomized controlled pilot trial evaluating the effects of the personally tailored CRC screening IMCP as compared with a non-tailored IMCP ("electronic leaflet") control. The IMCP was tailored to patient preference, self-efficacy, barriers, and readiness and deployed in busy primary care offices before scheduled doctor visits. Main outcomes were: CRC screening knowledge, self-efficacy, benefits and barriers, and stage of readiness.
Results:
We enrolled 54 subjects; software glitches occurred in 5, leaving 49 subjects for analysis. In adjusted analyses, compared with control, the experimental group had a significant increase in CRC screening self-efficacy (p=0.049), a significantly greater likelihood of moving to a more advanced stage of readiness for screening (p=0.034), a trend toward fewer perceived barriers to screening (p=0.149), and no difference in perceived benefits or knowledge of screening.
Conclusion:
Our personally tailored IMCP was significantly more effective than control in bolstering CRC screening readiness and self-efficacy.
Practice Implications:
If further streamlined, personally tailored IMCPs might be usefully deployed in busy primary care offices to improve uptake of CRC screening.
