PARTNERS for Health Information, funded by a grant from the National Library of Medicine to the Himmelfarb Library, provides computers, training, databases, document delivery, and a customized web page to the patients and staff of the Non-Profit Clinic Consortium in Washington, DC as a strategy to overcome disparities in access to electronic health information. PARTNERS staff and student service learning volunteers host formal workshops to train clinic staff in web navigation skills, database searching, and consumer health evaluation, and visit the clinic waiting rooms to teach patients how to find usable health and community information. Clinics have adopted different models to reach their clients, including training patient volunteers to train other patients, sponsoring classes for support groups and teen peer educators, inviting waiting patients to use the publicly accessible computers, and incorporating the web into health education sessions. The web page has been designed to offer usable health and local community information based on an ongoing needs assessment. It contains sections on clinical information, prevention and environmental health, community resources, and social networks (see http://www.gwumc.edu/partners). To create a more reciprocal resource, PARTNERS solicits materials and presentations from clinic staff and clients to share on the PARTNERS web page. Evaluation activities, based on the diffusion of innovations model, focus on Internet utilization rates for health information, changes in decisions based on the information retrieved, and satisfaction of the staff and clients with the project. See www.gwu.edu/~partners
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, learners will be able to: 1. Identify 3 models to train clinic clients and patients to use the Internet for health and community information. 2. Articulate the health information needs of different groups of users who visit community based clinics. 3. Describe an approach to conduct university-based outreach programs to community based organizations.
Keywords: Internet, Health Information
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: NLM, George Washington University
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: NLM contractee; employee of GWU