A PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PLANNING AID FOR FAMILIES

THIS RESEARCH WILL DEVELOP A COMPUTER-BASED AID FOR PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PLANNING FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES PREVAIL (PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PLANNING AID FOR FAMILIES) WILL AUTOMATE THE PROCESS OF ASSESSING AN INDIVIDUAL'S MEDICAL, DEMOGRAPHIC AND LIFESTYLE CHARACTERISTICS AND MAPPING THEM ONTO A PERSONALLY TAILORED SET OF PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE RECOMMENDATIONS. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE BASED ON KNOWLEDGE ELICITED FROM A WIDE RANGE OF PRIMARY CARE PRACTITIONERS AND CONSULTANTS, ALLOWING PREVAIL TO OFFER A GENUINELY COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE. PREVAIL'S DESIGN WILL INCORPORATE SEVERAL INNOVATIVE FEATURES THAT WILL ENHANCE THE ENTRANCE OF FAMILIES INTO THE PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PROCESS. THESE INCLUDE: 1) A MODULAR, EXTENSIBLE, OBJECT-ORIENTED EXPERT SYSTEM DESIGN THAT WILL FACILITATE THE COORDINATION OF PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE KNOWLEDGE FROM MULTIPLE MEDICAL SPECIALITIES; AND 2) A USER-CENTERED AND PORTABLE DESIGN FOR A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE THAT WILL AID THE ELICITATION OF USER HEALTH INFORMATION AND WILL INCORPORATE INNOVATIVE MOTIVATIONAL AND EDUCATIONS1 APPROACHES TO THE PRESENTATION OF PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL ADDRESS PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN ISSUES IN INITIATING, ACCEPTING, AND COMPLETING PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE PRACTICES.