Volunteer facilitators assist community practices with enhancing cancer control
C. B. Woodruff, A. J. Dietrich, P. A. Carney, J. I. Frechette, M. A. Camp and B. S. Fitzgerald
Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of recruiting, training, and placing
in the field volunteers to assist community practices in enhancing the
provision of preventive care. DESIGN: A case series design followed up a
cohort of volunteers prospectively as they were recruited, trained, and
assigned to practices. SETTING: The New Hampshire Division of the American
Cancer Society recruited and trained the volunteer facilitators.
INTERVENTION: Assistance from the volunteers in implementing a preventive
services office system served as the intervention for practices. Volunteers
were trained and supported by professional staff and an implementation
manual. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recruitment, training, and volunteer
experiences in working with practices, as well as the costs of supporting
the program, were assessed. RESULTS: Twenty-six volunteers were trained. Of
the 15 assigned to practices, 11 had begun to assist their assigned
practices to establish a preventive services office system. Extensive
planning, patience, and support were required. CONCLUSION: Volunteers
recruited and supported by an intermediary organization can provide
assistance to practices in implementing a preventive services office
system.
