Web materials becoming more common
Web materials becoming more common
Facilities see easy access beneficial to public
Question: "Do you have your in-house patient education materials on the Internet so that the public can access them? If yes, what prompted you to make them available to the public and what barriers did you encounter in the process [for example legal issues to contend with]? How did you overcome these barriers or issues?
"If no, what keeps you from placing your materials on the web; what concerns do you have about making them publicly available?"
Answer: Placing the patient education material inventory on the web site met an immediate need in December 1997, when The Ohio State University (OSU) Medical Center in Columbus acquired over 40 primary care ambulatory sites. "Organization-ally, these sites were not part of OSU, but were OSU physician-related. We were told that JCAHO would be in town before Christmas to do a survey of these sites now that they fell under the Medical Center and we needed to get them compliant in a matter of weeks," says Sandra Cornett, director, OSU/AHEC Health Literacy Program, Office of Health Sciences, The Ohio State University (OSU) and former program manager for consumer health education at the OSU Medical Center.
The ambulatory sites were not on the medical center’s intranet system but all were on the Internet, so the quickest way to provide access to the patient education materials was to put the medical center’s inventory on its web site. "Since then, these sites are all connected to the intranet, but we elected not to take the material off the Internet system as we got numerous kudos from people around the country as to how the materials met their needs," says Cornett.
The patient education materials at Jackson Health System in Miami, which are written in a low-literacy fashion, are on the health system’s web site. "There was really no hesitation to include this on the health system’s web site as we felt as a publicly funded and centered health system that it was part of our mission and vision to share this information," says Sharon Sweeting, MS, RD, LD, CDE, coordinator of patient and family education for the department of education and development. Although all material is currently in English, the institution is considering including language translations.
University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia is in the process of making materials available on its web site. As new materials are created, they are placed on the web. "We are converting our old materials to a format consistent with the web," says Ceresa Ward, MS, RN, manager of the Center for Education and Development. The index for materials along with other resources, such as frequently asked questions and support group information, also is included.
Include disclaimer
"I am a strong believer in making information easily accessible to both staff and patients," says Ward. However, before the materials were placed on-line, the education department researched many web sites to see how other institutions were making their information available and what type of disclaimer was used. Missouri Health also added a disclaimer:
"Material and links at the University of Missouri Health Care Patient Education site are intended for educational purposes only. This information should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Please consult your health professional for advice relating to a medical problem or condition."
On The OSU Medical Center web site, a disclaimer page must be read and clicked on to get into the patient education pages. All patient education material goes through stringent review to meet the institution’s standards.
Although material that is too organization-specific is probably not appropriate for web sites, materials should not be limited to generic health promotion pieces either, says Cornett. "We have gotten feedback that specific materials on procedures and surgeries have been helpful and people had trouble finding this information on other sites," she says.
A way to update materials on the web site also should be determined. At Jackson Health System, as pieces are revised, the web mistress is e-mailed the revision and makes the appropriate changes in the plain-language library of medical information. The process flows seamlessly, says Sweeting.
Staff at the University of Missouri Health Care can order materials on the site that are delivered to the units to maintain the unit-based inventory of frequently used materials. "The primary purpose of the web site is to make the materials and resources more accessible for staff to order and use so they can provide better information to our patients. Making the resources directly available via the web site to more than just our staff was a secondary benefit to better serve the community," says Ward.
Sources
For more information about placing patient education materials on the Internet, contact:
- Sandra Cornett, RN, PhD, Director, OSU/AHEC Health Literacy Program, Office of Health Sciences, The Ohio State University, AHEC, 218 Meiling Hall, 370 W. Ninth Ave., Columbus, OH 43210-1238. Telephone: (614) 292-0716. Fax: (614) 688-4041. E-mail: [email protected].
- Sharon Sweeting, MS, RD, LD, CDE, Patient and Family Education Coordinator, Department of Education and Development, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Jackson Medical Towers-Seventh Floor East, 1500 N.W. 12 Ave., Miami, FL 33136. Telephone: (305) 585-8168. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.um-jmh.org. (Open Jackson Memorial Hospital icon and scroll to Plan Language Library.)
- Ceresa Ward, MS, RN, Manager, Center for Education & Development, University of Missouri Health Care, DC030.00, One Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212. Telephone: (573) 882-7126. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.info.muhealth.org/ptedindex/.
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