Kathye Gorosh, MBA¹, Laura C. Wooster, MPH², Jeania Davis, BA², and Robert A. Weinstein, MD³. (1) Executive Director, The CORE Foundation, 2020 W. Harrison, Chicago, IL 60612, 312-572-4765, kgorosh@corecenter.org, (2) The CORE Foundation, 2020 W. Harrison St. 4-138, Chicago, IL 60612, (3) Department of Infectious Diseases, Cook County Hospital, CORE Center, Rush Medical College, 1835 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60612

Issues

Patient empowerment plays an integral role in successful disease self-management. By providing easily accessible knowledge, computers can help HIV patients to better address the health and social barriers they confront.

Description

COMET is a comprehensive computer system with three key goals: self-paced education for HIV/AIDS patients, tools to improve adherence to medications regimens, and improved communication with providers. There are two groups of participants in this demonstration project-- patients at a specialized, public clinic, and clients of a CBO. Both access the system using workstations at their respective locations. Input gathered from clients, primary care providers, and social service providers during project planning contributed to the system’s design.

COMET’s main features are an animated knowledge base, audio dictionary, and life-management tools. These include an interactive pill planner, searchable drug guide, appointment calendar, and graphed lab results. To encourage increased communication, patients can also submit electronic notes to their providers and receive replies.

Lessons Learned

We will present key accomplishments, which include the successful enrollment and training of computer-naïve participants. Challenges during planning and implementation such as absenteeism, attrition of enrollees and provider resistance to participation will be shared.

We will present outcomes measures from participant usage-- demographics, frequency and patterns of use, self-reported medication adherence, clinical results, number and frequency of electronic communication with providers, and qualitative feedback.

Recommendations

By comparing COMET use between these two very different populations, we will evaluate the system’s exportability to other disease models and patient populations.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: HIV Interventions, Minority Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.