 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Valerie E. Applebaum, MPH, CHES, Ronda L. Sinkowitz-Cochran, MPH, Rachel Lawton, MPH, CHES, and Denise Cardo, MD. Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-68, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-1263, vapplebaum@cdc.gov
BACKGROUND: In March 2002, CDC launched the Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance in healthcare settings. The Campaign launch included a press event, announcements in medical publications, and the development of a website to promote the Campaign messages and educational materials. OBJECTIVES/METHODS: Monthly reports were analyzed to track specific web statistics, including monthly visits. In November 2002, a 5-question survey was added to the website to assess user characteristics, such as occupation and organization type. The preliminary results of this survey were analyzed and responses will continue to be tracked. RESULTS: From March through November 2002, there have been 63,644 visits to the website, with a median of 7,202 (range: 4,886 - 9,273) visits per month. Immediately following the Campaign and website launch, an initial peak in visits occurred followed by a significant (p<0.000) decrease and stabilization in subsequent months. Based on preliminary data, 282 of 1311 persons (21.5% response rate) completed the online survey; most accessed the site from work (72.7%) and home (64.2%). The majority of respondents worked for a healthcare organization (74.8%) and were nurses (32.5%) or physicians (22.5%). Respondents lived in urban (47.3%) and suburban (33.7%) areas; 27.0% connected to the site from a foreign country. CONCLUSIONS: The Internet is a venue for promoting health prevention messages, but these messages must be continually marketed to the target audience in order to maintain interest. When developing future communication tools, it is important to understand the audience’s characteristics to determine the best ways to reach them.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance, Internet Tools
Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/healthcare
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.