Project ECHO for Cancer Care: a Scoping Review of Provider Outcome Evaluations.

ABSTRACT

The Project ECHO model of telementoring has been used for the past 10 years to expand access to specialized cancer care. This scoping review identifies evidence for the model's ability to improve provider outcomes, synthesizing findings from existing studies within Moore et al.'s (2009) framework for continuing medical education outcomes. We search two large research databases and a collection maintained by Project ECHO staff for articles that focus on cancer ECHO programs, involve primary data collection, and were published between December 1, 2016, and November 30, 2021. We identified 25 articles for inclusion in our scoping review. Most articles reported results for outcomes related to program participation attendance, satisfaction, and learning. Yet, just under half reported changes in provider practices. Results demonstrate widespread participation and improved learning resulting from ECHO programs focused on cancer care. There is also evidence of improved practices related to HCV vaccination and palliative care. We highlight examples of best practices as well as opportunities to improve provider outcome evaluations for cancer ECHO programs.