Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of questions you may have about Protect Your Colon™. Click on a question below to see the answer.

Questions about the purpose of Protect Your Colon™

Questions about how to complete Protect Your Colon™

Questions about the Protect Your Colon™ personalized report

Questions about confidentiality and security of Protect Your Colon™

Questions about the purpose of Protect Your Colon™

What can Protect Your Colon™ do for me?

The goal of Protect Your Colon™ is to help you think about what matters most to you when discussing colon cancer screening test options with your doctor. After you answer the questions in the Colon Protector Selector, you will instantly receive your personalized report. This report will be unique to you and will describe which colon cancer screening test best fits your values and preferences. You can print out the report and bring it with you to your next clinic visit, or you can send it in an email to your doctor. That way, your doctor will know which test you want to do to Protect Your Colon™.

What is the purpose of the “Learn More” section?

People visiting Protect Your Colon™ will have different levels of understanding of colon cancer screening. The Learn More section goes over important terms and concepts related to colon cancer screening. Please take the time to review the material so that you can get the most out of the Colon Protector Selector. This will help the computer create a personalized report that more accurately reflects your values and preferences. You will also see that the headings of each page of the Learn More section will appear on the menu bar so that you can go back to a previous page if you want to look at the information again.

What is the Colon Protector Selector and how will it help me?

The Colon Protector Selector will help you figure out what is most important to you when selecting a colon cancer screening test. It will show you different test profiles side by side. As you go through the questions, the computer will learn more about what matters most to you.

After you finish the questions, you will receive your personalized report. The report will show which test best fits your preferences and values. It will also show what you care about the most when picking a test. For example, it may show that you prefer to do a test that is easy and convenient to do. You can bring the report with you to the doctor or send it to them by email so they know which test you want to do to Protect Your Colon™! The report can also help guide the discussion between you and your doctor during the clinic visit.

Questions about how to complete Protect Your Colon™

Can I skip the “Learn More” section?

Yes, you can skip any page in the Learn More section. However, even if the material is familiar to you, we recommend that you take the time to read each page. You may learn something new, and it will help you get the most out of the Colon Protector Selector.

How long will it take me to go through the Protect Your Colon™ website?

Different people take different amounts of time to go through the Protect Your Colon™ website. The amount of time depends on your prior knowledge of and familiarity with colon cancer screening. Most people will complete the Learn More section and Colon Protector Selector in a total of 10-15 minutes. Please try not to rush through the process. The more accurate your responses are to the Colon Protector Selector, the more helpful the personalized report will be to you.

Does everyone answer the same Colon Protector Selector questions that I answer?

No. The Colon Protector Selector is “smart” because it listens to your responses and creates new questions that make sense for your situation. Therefore, the Colon Protector Selector will present each person with a unique set of questions.

What will happen if I can't answer a question during the Colon Protector Selector?

You may find that some questions in the Colon Protector Selector are difficult to answer. They are designed to make you think hard about the pros and cons of the different colon cancer screening tests. Please try to answer the questions to the best of your ability, even if none of the options seem like ideal choices.

What if I made a mistake answering a question during the Colon Protector Selector?

If you want to change an answer on a previous screen, you can go back to the question by clicking on the back arrow button on the bottom of the page. You can go all the way back to the beginning of the Colon Protector Selector to change your answers by continually clicking on the back arrow button. Please note that once you complete all the questions and receive your personalized report, you will not be able to change your answers.

What happens if I can't finish going through all the questions in the Colon Protector Selector?

Unfortunately, you cannot save your progress and come back to finish later. However, most people can answer all the questions in one sitting.

Questions about the Protect Your Colon™ personalized report

How do I interpret the personalized report?

Your personalized report shows your preferred colon cancer screening test. Depending on your responses to the Colon Protector Selector, it will show that you either want to do a colonoscopy, colon CT scan, or stool test. The report also includes your “preference scores” for the test characteristics that were presented in the Colon Protector Selector. The higher the score, the more important the characteristic was to you. For example, it may show that you prefer to do a test that is easy and convenient to do.

What is an example of how I could use the personalized report?

When you have your next clinic visit, you can share your personalized report with your doctor so that he or she can know which colon cancer screening test you want to do. During the visit, you and your doctor may then focus the conversation around this test. Your doctor can also answer any questions you may have about the test at that time.

Will the personalized report tell me which specific colon cancer screening test is right for me?

Yes. The personalized report will identify the colon cancer screening test that best fits your values and preferences. The computer can figure this out based on your answers to the Colon Protector Selector. However, the decision on which test to do is ultimately up to you and your doctor after having an informed discussion.

How do I share the personalized report with my doctor (or someone else)?

When you see your personalized report on the screen, you will have the option to email yourself a copy of the report. After you receive the report in your email inbox, you can then print it out and bring it with you to the doctor, or you can send it in an email to your doctor.

How can I access the personalized report later?

When you see your personalized report on the screen, you will have the option to email yourself a copy of the report. After you receive the report in your email inbox, you can then save it to your computer as a PDF file.

Questions about confidentiality and security of Protect Your Colon™

Where are my answers going and how are they protected from others to see?

Protect Your Colon™ is a highly secure system. Your responses will be stored in a database serviced by Amazon Web Services, and it meets all standard criteria for security. Please also note that Protect Your Colon™ does not collect any personal health information (eg, name, address, Social Security number, etc.).

Are my answers confidential? Who will be able to see them?

Absolutely. Your answers are held in strict confidence. The only people who will be able to see your results are those with whom you choose to share your Protect Your Colon™ personalized report.


Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of questions you may have about Protect Your Colon™. Click on a question below to see the answer.

Questions about the purpose of Protect Your Colon™

Questions about how to complete Protect Your Colon™

Questions about the Protect Your Colon™ personalized report

Questions about confidentiality and security of Protect Your Colon™

Questions about the purpose of Protect Your Colon™

What can Protect Your Colon™ do for me?

The goal of Protect Your Colon™ is to help you think about what matters most to you when discussing colon cancer screening test options with your doctor. After you answer the questions in the Colon Protector Selector, you will instantly receive your personalized report. This report will be unique to you and will describe which colon cancer screening test best fits your values and preferences. You can print out the report and bring it with you to your next clinic visit, or you can send it in an email to your doctor. That way, your doctor will know which test you want to do to Protect Your Colon™.

What is the purpose of the “Learn More” section?

People visiting Protect Your Colon™ will have different levels of understanding of colon cancer screening. The Learn More section goes over important terms and concepts related to colon cancer screening. Please take the time to review the material so that you can get the most out of the Colon Protector Selector. This will help the computer create a personalized report that more accurately reflects your values and preferences. You will also see that the headings of each page of the Learn More section will appear on the menu bar so that you can go back to a previous page if you want to look at the information again.

What is the Colon Protector Selector and how will it help me?

The Colon Protector Selector will help you figure out what is most important to you when selecting a colon cancer screening test. It will show you different test profiles side by side. As you go through the questions, the computer will learn more about what matters most to you.

After you finish the questions, you will receive your personalized report. The report will show which test best fits your preferences and values. It will also show what you care about the most when picking a test. For example, it may show that you prefer to do a test that is easy and convenient to do. You can bring the report with you to the doctor or send it to them by email so they know which test you want to do to Protect Your Colon™! The report can also help guide the discussion between you and your doctor during the clinic visit.

Questions about how to complete Protect Your Colon™

Can I skip the “Learn More” section?

Yes, you can skip any page in the Learn More section. However, even if the material is familiar to you, we recommend that you take the time to read each page. You may learn something new, and it will help you get the most out of the Colon Protector Selector.

How long will it take me to go through the Protect Your Colon™ website?

Different people take different amounts of time to go through the Protect Your Colon™ website. The amount of time depends on your prior knowledge of and familiarity with colon cancer screening. Most people will complete the Learn More section and Colon Protector Selector in a total of 10-15 minutes. Please try not to rush through the process. The more accurate your responses are to the Colon Protector Selector, the more helpful the personalized report will be to you.

Does everyone answer the same Colon Protector Selector questions that I answer?

No. The Colon Protector Selector is “smart” because it listens to your responses and creates new questions that make sense for your situation. Therefore, the Colon Protector Selector will present each person with a unique set of questions.

What will happen if I can't answer a question during the Colon Protector Selector?

You may find that some questions in the Colon Protector Selector are difficult to answer. They are designed to make you think hard about the pros and cons of the different colon cancer screening tests. Please try to answer the questions to the best of your ability, even if none of the options seem like ideal choices.

What if I made a mistake answering a question during the Colon Protector Selector?

If you want to change an answer on a previous screen, you can go back to the question by clicking on the back arrow button on the bottom of the page. You can go all the way back to the beginning of the Colon Protector Selector to change your answers by continually clicking on the back arrow button. Please note that once you complete all the questions and receive your personalized report, you will not be able to change your answers.

What happens if I can't finish going through all the questions in the Colon Protector Selector?

Unfortunately, you cannot save your progress and come back to finish later. However, most people can answer all the questions in one sitting.

Questions about the Protect Your Colon™ personalized report

How do I interpret the personalized report?

Your personalized report shows your preferred colon cancer screening test. Depending on your responses to the Colon Protector Selector, it will show that you either want to do a colonoscopy, colon CT scan, or stool test. The report also includes your “preference scores” for the test characteristics that were presented in the Colon Protector Selector. The higher the score, the more important the characteristic was to you. For example, it may show that you prefer to do a test that is easy and convenient to do.

What is an example of how I could use the personalized report?

When you have your next clinic visit, you can share your personalized report with your doctor so that he or she can know which colon cancer screening test you want to do. During the visit, you and your doctor may then focus the conversation around this test. Your doctor can also answer any questions you may have about the test at that time.

Will the personalized report tell me which specific colon cancer screening test is right for me?

Yes. The personalized report will identify the colon cancer screening test that best fits your values and preferences. The computer can figure this out based on your answers to the Colon Protector Selector. However, the decision on which test to do is ultimately up to you and your doctor after having an informed discussion.

How do I share the personalized report with my doctor (or someone else)?

When you see your personalized report on the screen, you will have the option to email yourself a copy of the report. After you receive the report in your email inbox, you can then print it out and bring it with you to the doctor, or you can send it in an email to your doctor.

How can I access the personalized report later?

When you see your personalized report on the screen, you will have the option to email yourself a copy of the report. After you receive the report in your email inbox, you can then save it to your computer as a PDF file.

Questions about confidentiality and security of Protect Your Colon™

Where are my answers going and how are they protected from others to see?

Protect Your Colon™ is a highly secure system. Your responses will be stored in a database serviced by Amazon Web Services, and it meets all standard criteria for security. Please also note that Protect Your Colon™ does not collect any personal health information (eg, name, address, Social Security number, etc.).

Are my answers confidential? Who will be able to see them?

Absolutely. Your answers are held in strict confidence. The only people who will be able to see your results are those with whom you choose to share your Protect Your Colon™ personalized report.