Online Program

319704
Health Education for Local Providers (HELP)


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Kimberly Miller, MEd, MCHES, Center for Distance Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
The purpose is to improve educational opportunities for health care providers serving patients in the Arkansas Delta; thus allowing rural providers to thrive in a system that practices evidenced-based, up to date chronic disease management and care.

Rural hospitals and clinics often find it difficult to send their healthcare professionals to educational conferences held remotely, which leaves the facility without staffing resources and the travel costs. Most rural hospitals and clinics are not equipped to provide in-house continuing education because of small staff numbers, small continuing education budgets, and the lack of education personnel. The HELP project provides free access to evidence-based chronic disease education for health care providers in hospitals, community health centers, and rural clinics throughout the nineteen county South Arkansas Delta utilizing current and innovative technologies. The continuing education is delivered via live teleconferences through interactive video, interactive modules, and enduring material through a learning management system. In the first year alone, 429 health care providers accessed the education, representing all nineteen counties in the project. Of those represented 76% were nurses, 16% other- allied health, 4% Paramedic/EMT, 3% Physicians, and 1% Pharmacists.     

By improving the Arkansas Delta Rural Healthcare infrastructure, this will promote communication among healthcare providers and improve access to care for residents of the nineteen county area. Improved health outcomes, reduced cost, and an enhanced patient experience are among the goals. One of the most important aspects to implementation is empowering the healthcare providers with the knowledge to help their patients understand their disease and communicate in a way that they understand.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Communication and informatics
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the method in which the education is disseminated. Discuss how the education being provided is impacting the providers and the targeted population. Identify the target population and describe its geographical importance.

Keyword(s): Chronic Disease Management and Care, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 14 years of Health Education experience, working specifically in Public Health, Patient Education, and Continuing Medical Education. I am a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). A majority of my career has been working with healthcare providers in the Arkansas Delta. My passion for adult education and health education has been the driving force to connect rural health care providers to quality education in order to better serve their patient population.
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.