Abstract IA21: Translating evidence to action: Yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu

Abstract

Abstract Not very long ago scientific publication was viewed as the primary dissemination goal of scientific discovery. This viewpoint, however, has evolved substantially over the past 10 - 20 years. While scientific discovery and publication remain key to dissemination of findings, it is now often viewed as a single stage in the spectrum from discovery to the application of research results. The view of effective dissemination must now also include the practical world of policy makers, clinicians, health care organizations, and the public – groups that need good data and good tools to make informed decisions that drive individual, national, and global health. The development of health risk assessment and prevention tools can play a key role in doing this. And such development moves through three general translation stages – with each subsequent stage marked by greater difficulty to achieve. 1) Creation of accurate risk prediction calculation(s) from current evidence base. 2) Development of a practical, usable tool that incorporates the calculation(s) and provides actionable messages – for clinical, public policy, or public use. 3) Integration of risk prediction tools with the social, structural, and financial support for translating recommended action messages into actual action – whether we're talking about doctors counseling patients, government representatives making health policy, or the public working to improve their own health. This process by necessity requires a multi-disciplinary approach – drawing on expertise from epidemiology, biostatistics, communication theory, coding, and design – among others. With the addition of precision medicine and big data to long-established data analysis techniques, the field of risk prediction is set to expand in coming years. Along with that expansion, it is important to assure that our efforts are valid, useful, reliable, and applicable. Citation Format: Graham A. Colditz. Translating evidence to action: Yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Improving Cancer Risk Prediction for Prevention and Early Detection; Nov 16-19, 2016; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(5 Suppl):Abstract nr IA21.