ENHANCING PATIENT-PROVIDER MEDICAL DECISIONS: A WEBSITE

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The phenomenal growth of the Internet and telecommunications technologies offers the next major step in health care: efficient communication between patients and their health care providers. While there is a wealth of information from a variety of sources on health care and medical conditions, the tools to help patients put together their own experience in a framework of recent medical research findings does not exist. We propose to develop an interactive website that will not only provide the latest medical research to health care consumers, but will apply this research to the consumer's specific health requirements. The purpose of this website is to facilitate efficient face-to-face communication between health care providers and patient/consumers. A website will be developed and evaluated during Phase I utilizing postmenopausal hormone therapy as the prototype module (condition). At the conclusion of the interactive website a health profile and a set of questions customized to a patient/consumer's specific situation will be produced to take to the appointment with the health care provider. It will be determined if this instrument benefits both providers and patients by optimizing their time together. The questions and background information will facilitate informed, shared medical decision-making.