Bombard community with health care information
Bombard community with health care information
Use repetition, many sources to raise awareness
The Healthwise Communities Project has a lofty goal. Its focus is to provide detailed health information to consumers and thus to change the course of health care.
Launched in April 1996, the program had an impact on health care the first year it was implemented in a four-county area encompassing Boise, ID. Visits to emergency departments in the area dropped by 18%.
How is the project affecting the health care decisions of these residents? "What we have done is flood the area with health information," explains Pamela Weinberg, RN, MPH, vice president of Boise-based Healthwise Communities.
The information is meant to teach people who:
· are in good health behaviors what will keep them well;
· can learn what to do on days when they are feeling ill;
· have an acute health care concern;
· need counseling during their decision-making process when faced with treatment options such as surgery or taking a life-changing medication.
Every household in the four-county area received a copy of Healthwise Handbook, a self-care manual. This handbook has a section on illness prevention, as well as a listing of health problems with home treatment information and tips on when to call a professional. "We have now conducted workshops for over 10,000 people in this area, teaching them how to use the self-care handbook and helping them become more aware of the kinds of day-to-day decisions they get to make around their health," says Weinberg.
Freestanding computer kiosks loaded with Healthwise Knowledge software were installed in public areas to provide more detailed information. While the handbook is 300 pages, additional information in the software would be 30,000 pages if printed.
An Internet Web site with the Healthwise Knowledge software also was established so people could access the information from home. The Web site is only accessible to people within the four-county area.
Residents who aren't computer-savvy can call a nursing call center and speak to a nurse who has access to the software. The nurse also is available for decision support when consumers are deciding on treatment options. "People can work through some of the decision-making process with the nurses," says Weinberg.
Local newspapers also are used as an educational tool. Each week, a health column is printed in the paper, paid for with money slated for advertising that was built into the project's budget. Topics include how much fat Americans can eat without having too much fat in their diet, at what age children need to be immunized, and how people can protect themselves from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. A calendar also is printed that lists such events as flu shot clinics.
"Education needs to be constant. People need the book in their home and the availability of information on the Internet and at kiosks, as well as the material that appears in the newspaper on a regular basis. It's the key to keeping people's awareness up," says Weinberg.
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