261236 Evaluation of an online health literacy tool for patients and health professionals

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Andrew Pleasant, PhD , Health Literacy and Research, Canyon Ranch Institute, Tucson, AZ
Clifford Coleman, MD, MPH , Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Jennifer Cabe, MA , Executive Director, Canyon Ranch Institute, Tucson, AZ
Rainy Dawn Warf, MPH, CHES , Canyon Ranch Institute, Evaluation consultant, Tuscon, AZ
Richard Carmona, MD MPH FACS , President, Canyon Ranch Institute, Tucson, AZ
Poor communication between patients and health care professionals is a common complaint of patients and a leading source of patient dissatisfaction and medical errors. Improving communication between patients and health care professionals is a national public health priority area. Time to Talk CARDIO (Creating a Real Dialogue In the Office) is a free online skill-building educational program designed to help both patients and health care professionals make the most of their conversations by building communication skills. In a randomized control trial for 100 patients and a small exploratory study for health professionals to evaluate the impact of this new online communication skill-building tool, intervention group patients improved significantly more than the control group in four of the six hypothesized domains of communication. Health professionals overall change in communication domains was positive and improvements were seen in levels of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with care provided. The Time to Talk CARDIO web-based program has demonstrated positive effects for both patients and health care professionals. This evaluation also identified several opportunities to refine the Time to Talk CARDIO program to create an even broader appeal and significant impact for patients and health care professionals. The online tool is also available as Hora de Hablar CARDIO, which is a cultural and linguistic adaptation of Time to Talk CARDIO that targets Hispanic patients with heart disease. Timetotalkcardio.com; horadehablarcardio.com

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the conceptual basis in health literacy of Time to Talk CARDIO and Hora de Hablar CARDIO. Demonstrate to others how to use Time to Talk CARDIO and Hora de Hablar CARDIO. Analyze findings from the control and intervention group in the evaluation of Time to Talk CARDIO Evaluate the usability and suitability of Time to Talk CARDIO and Hora de Hablar CARDIO

Keywords: Health Literacy, Internet Tools

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am Director of Health Literacy and Research at Canyon Ranch Institute, leading all activities related to research and health literacy include the evaluation of Time to Talk CARDIO.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Name of Organization Clinical/Research Area Type of relationship
Merck health literacy Independent Contractor (contracted research and clinical trials) and Speaker's bureau and teaching engagements

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.