250331 Analysis Tool for Web-Based Patient Communications about Prescription Drug Use

Monday, October 31, 2011

Evelyn Adams, BS , Human Resources, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH
Greta Winbush, PhD , Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH
Lealoni Miller , Division Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences, Ohio Dominican University, Columbus, OH
Leon McDougle, MPH, MD , College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Background: E-health websites are viewed as health empowerment tools for health consumers and health professionals. These websites help health communities meet goals of healthy bodies and minds. E-health information is mostly provided by health professionals. Consumer-provided e-health information is limited and may not comparably empower as that provided by health experts. Exploring this uncharted area requires a closer look at consumer-provided e-health information and creating tools to analyze such information. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to analyze consumer-provided e-health information on prescription drug use. Methods: Procedures were implemented to develop an analysis tool for the e-health website, Askapatient.com. Askapatient.com consists of patient communications about prescribed medication use. Comment domains were formulated based on patient comments found on the website. These domains were driven by questions about the kinds of information provided about prescription drug use and the value of such information as a health empowerment tool. In developing the tool, patient comments about a particular drug were considered a patient entry. Four (4) random patient entries were reviewed for three (3) common prescribed drugs for diabetes. Themes which emerged from the review of the patient entries were used to develop the comment domains. Results: Based upon analysis of the selected patient entries, over 15 subcategories of themes were identified and later collapsed into 6 major comment domains. These domains were: (1) Drug assessment, (2) Consumer message(s), (3) Information comparability (patient vs. health experts), (4) Demographic information, (5) Compliance information, and (6) Patient-doctor relationship information. The analysis tool of the Askapatient.com website was comprised of these domains. Conclusion: Assessments of e-health websites will be an ongoing challenge for the fields of health and technology. Yet, we must develop tools for assessing the viability of health technology and its usefulness across diverse health consumer communities.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe an analysis tool for a consumer-driven e-health website. 2. Identify two key elements of an analysis and assessment tool for consumer-driven e-health information websites.

Keywords: Health Information, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Project Director of Central State University's Center for Allaying Health Disparities through Research and Education (CADRE), a 5-yr research capacity building project funded by NIH, NIMHD. I have over 20 years of research, publication, and presentation experiences in the areas of minority health and aging. I am also the PI for a NIH-funded peer-reviewed project on health information websites.
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: The Use of Consumer Health Informatics in Health Education, Dissemination, Interventions and Disease Management
See more of: Health Informatics Information Technology