Measuring the impact of a catchment area surveillance tool on cancer center adopters

Background: The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center developed the data gathering and visualization platform Cancer InFocus (CIF) as a solution for cancer center catchment area surveillance. CIF was released in June 2022 and made available for use to other institutions through a no-cost licensing agreement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact CIF has had on cancer centers since its release.

Methods: The authors adapted an existing management evaluation framework to assess the impact of CIF across three spheres-idea dissemination, product engagement, and adopter satisfaction. This assessment included an online survey administered between the dates of September 18, 2023 and June 22, 2024 among 28 individuals at 13 CIF adopting institutions.

Results: As of October 2024, the ideas and approaches of CIF had been disseminated with national audiences 13 times and featured in one peer-reviewed publication. Thirty-five institutions, including 26 National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers, had engaged in licensing CIF. In a user satisfaction survey among adopting institutions, a majority of individuals indicated they were gathering more data (91.7%) and requiring less effort to disseminate data (72.0%) using CIF than under their previous methods.

Conclusions: CIF has demonstrated a broad and positive impact on cancer center catchment area surveillance in the 2 years since its release. CIF represents a high value, low-cost option for cancer centers wanting to build a cancer surveillance dashboard. The framework used for evaluating CIF's impact can be adapted to assess the impact of other open-source software built and distributed by cancer centers.