American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) enhances usability of the cancer staging manual

About
AJCC is best known for defining cancer staging standards; officially known as the AJCC staging system.

Situation
In 2013, the AJCC identified a business need to simplify and produce content in multiple information products for their end users – medical professionals who use these products for selecting the most effective treatment, determining prognosis, and continuing evaluation of cancer control measures.

How we helped
The AJCC engaged us to analyze and rewrite content for the marquee cancer sites using DITA-XML. Called the Cancer Staging Content Transformation Project (CSCoT), we developed Precision Content templates that supported specific structured writing principles and the business needs of the AJCC.

Writers performing the content analysis, and working with subject matter experts, identified areas for improvement. They were then able to provide AJCC with succinct content in an electronic format that could be delivered in multiple information products.

Result
This content harmonization initiative will further enhance usability of the staging system by providing clearer staging rules and references for the 8th edition. This pilot project was well regarded and changed the way the AJCC will author, manage, and publish content for future editions.

Resources:

Slide share:

Transforming the Application of Cancer Staging with Intelligent Content,

Rob Hanna, May 8, 2014 at the Intelligent Content Conference in San Francisco, California