Teaching clinical management skills for genetic testing of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer using a Web-based tutorial

Purpose: To pilot and evaluate an interactive Web-based continuing medical education tutorial on clinical management of hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) and genetic testing. Methods: Gastroenterology fellows and genetic counseling trainees were asked to read standard written materials before taking the tutorial. A pretest/post-test assessment was used to measure change in subjects' clinical management skills. Results: Subjects made the correct management decision 63.9% of the time before the tutorial and 81.1% of the time after the tutorial (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Supplementing written materials with an interactive program may assist medical professionals in integrating their knowledge of HNPCC and genetic testing into clinical practice.