Services
Our services include preparing research funding applications, design and production of decision support interventions, evaluating new interventions for effectiveness, and disseminating interventions for use at MD Anderson and our partner institutions. Patient decision aids produced by the Decision Science Core Facility meet new certification requirements from the National Quality Forum, and the content, development process, evaluation and reporting follow standards from the International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration.
The following services are provided at no cost:
- Research grant consultation and preparation
- Access to development and evaluation tools (measures library)
- Registry of patients and caregivers willing to participate in decision support development studies
- Access to library of research protocols for IRB submission
The following services are billed at the indicated hourly rate:
| Service | Description | Rate (Internal, external in network, UT System) | Rate (External out of network) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project management | We provide project oversight including creation of timelines and deliverable schedules, facilitate project meetings and track completion of action items. | $50/hr | $81/hr |
| Content writing and documentation | Following IPDAS standards, our team creates content for websites, brochures and videos. We adapt content for low literacy audiences or other priority populations. | $50/hr | $81/hr |
| Study and protocol management | Our team can write protocols and study documents for submission to the IRB and provide regulatory documentation for audits. | $45/hr | $72.90/hr |
| Data collection (cognitive, usability, field/pilot testing) | Our team has research coordinators trained in the conduct of cognitive testing to ensure comprehension of written materials, usability testing to enhance the user experience with webpages and interactive content and field testing to evaluate the effectiveness of our decision support interventions. | $30/hr | $48/hr |
| Database management, data analysis support | Our team can create REDCap databases, clean data for analysis and provide some support for data analysis. | $40/hr | $68.40/hr |
| Qualitative research (interviews and focus groups) | Our team has trained staff to conduct qualitative interviews and moderate focus groups. | $50/hr | $81/hr |
| Production (web development, graphic design) | Our team has expertise in web programming to create interactive websites and customize the user interface/user experience and graphic design and illustration for print, web, and video. | $50/hr | $81/hr |
Initial Consultation
Before starting any new services, request an initial consultation by emailing Associate Director Viola Leal at DecisionScience@mdanderson.org or leaving a message at 713-792-5891.
Initial meetings usually cover:
- The fit between the investigator's needs and the services the core provides
- Details on the timeline for the project
- Details on requirements for decision support tools that need to be developed for the project:
- Paper/web
- Interactive
- Video
- Languages other than English
- The scope of the research:
- Type of data to be collected and analyzed (qualitative/quantitative)
- Number of subjects to be recruited
- Number of time points for follow-up
- Location where data is to be collected
- Status or need for development of:
- IRB protocols
- Data collection instruments
- Data collection procedures
- Databases