from Medical News Today:What will motivate the elderly, the chronically ill and the medicallyunderserved to use interactive information technology systems toactively help manage their own health problems? What barriers haveprevented people in these groups from using such systems more widelythan they have?The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) OregonEvidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at Oregon Health & ScienceUniversity searched the scientific literature for answers. The EPC'sreport is the first to identify and catalog the factors that influencethe use of home computer-based health IT systems by the most at-risksubgroups of the population and to review the evidence on healthoutcomes attributable to the use of these technologies. "This reportwill help us make health information technology more available andaccessible to consumers as they use it to become more active in theircare," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "I hope the reportwill be useful to clinicians, policymakers, patient advocates andothers who are working to integrate health IT solutions that improvethe quality and safety of health care for all Americans."
Among the study's findings: - The most effective systems are those that provide routine and timelytailored clinical feedback and advice. Patients prefer systems thatprovide them with information that is specifically tailored for themand is not general in nature. - Patients prefer systems that send them information on devices that fit into their normal daily routine, such as cell phones. - The lack of a perceived benefit is the primary barrier to wider useby patients of interactive IT technologies. When patients did notperceive a potential health benefit or did not trust the advice theywere given they were less likely to use the technology. - Issues of access, ease of use, and convenience of technology systems were also found to be key barriers to wider use. - The most frequently used health IT functions are online peer group support bulletin boards and disease self-management tools. - Patients value the anonymity and nonjudgmental nature of interactingwith a computer system, especially those with HIV/AIDS or mentaldisorders.
