A Web-Based Authoring Tool for Communicating Medical Risks

Voluntary behaviors such as alcohol consumption and unprotected sex can lead to serious health consequences for individuals, their family, and their social network, as well as present a serious public health concern. In order to reduce or eliminate the unwanted consequences of such voluntary behaviors people must understand the risks involved, what causes them, their consequences, and how to avoid them. Based on our review of relevant research, we concluded that the challenge involved in reducing risks in voluntary behaviors is making the risk information relevant to the audience. This need is the motivation for our product, MEDREACH—Medical Risk Reality Authoring and Communication Help, a theory-based authoring tool for creating dynamic, personalized risk-communication websites. This tool will be designed for health practitioners who are knowledgeable about their subject matter domain, but seek guidance in how to communicate risk information effectively. In Phase I we developed a model of risk communication that forms the foundation for the MEDREACH tool, and designed a proof-of-concept user interface for MEDREACH and for the resultant website. In Phase II we will develop the prototype MEDREACH tool, assess its usability, and empirically evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored website developed using MEDREACH.