185929 Evaluating CDC's Newest Web – Based Resource for Community Health Practice

Monday, October 27, 2008: 4:45 PM

Joseph Benitez, MPH , Division of Adult and Community Health, Community Health and Program Services Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Rosie Bretthauer - Mueller, BA , Division of Adult and Community Health, Community Health and Program Services Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Pattie Tucker, DrPH, RN , Division of Adult & Community Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Atlanta, GA
     
The concept of the Community Health Resources (CHR) Database resulted from the expressed need for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web-based materials for community based organizations and coalitions to assist them in program planning, implementation and evaluation. Common concerns among them referred to state, regional, and local data, guidance in performing program evaluations, and building partnerships with other stakeholders. Several community members and local health practitioners are not familiar with all the sites within the CDC website; therefore, the CHR database will serve as a central portal and compilation of links to existing CDC resources.

An evaluation of the CHR Database was performed to ensure quality and usability; evaluation methods included the following:

ľ Usability testing for function, performance, user experience and quality of content;

ľ Comparability testing to CDC Search Page; and

ľ Monitoring website traffic.

Trends in user concerns pertaining to design, content, and navigation were found, and difficulties experienced were related to organization, clarity, and functions. The performance comparison to the CDC Search Page found the CHR website to provide a much more concise set of practical and "turn-key" results.

The CHR Database will evolve into a highly valued source for tools, materials, and other resources to assist practitioners to plan and deliver high quality community health programs in diverse settings and populations. This evaluation also serve as a baseline for the future development phases of the CHR Database and potential guideline for developing other web-based tools for advancing community health practice.

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the implications of a centralized online and searchable database for community health tools and resources, and ensuring a user-friendly/user-centered design. List how user feedback could be useful in developing other web-based resources for community health practitioners. Describe how find a select resource either by Health Topic, Resource Type, or both through each of the search functions within the CHR Database.

Keywords: Health Information, Community Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract Author on the content I am responsible for because I have experience in both directed and independent research as well as delivering presentations at professional meetings. I have completed a Master's level Capstone Project which was a program evaluation for the University of Kentucky Area Health Education Center Program in Lexington, KY. I also presented those findings at the annual Kentucky Public Health Association Meeting in Louisville, KY and at the Kentucky AHEC Program Directors meeting in Covington, KY. I have also had an abstract both submitted and accepted for a poster presentation at the 2007 National Rural Health Association Conference in Anchorage, AK.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Using Web-Based Technology to Improve Community Health
See more of: Community Health Planning and Policy Development