PRELIMINARY DATA EVALUATING A WEB-BASED PATIENT RESOURCE
Abstract number :
2.296
Submission category :
Year :
2002
Submission ID :
1533
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/7/2002 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2002, 06:00 AM
Authors :
Deirdre M. Norris, Stephanie L. Prady, Samuel A. Ledwell, John E. Lester, Daniel B. Hoch. Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
RATIONALE: The epilepsy service at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has instituted a Web-based resource (PatientWeb) specifically designed for its patients. The goal of PatientWeb is to improve access to the epilepsy service, allow patients to interact with each other if they choose, and access educationa materials that the epilepsy service has reviewed and [dsquote]certified[dsquote] as useful and accurate material. The design of PatientWeb has evolved from an analysis of the MGH epilepsy public Web-forums and feedback from patient of the epilepsy service ambulatory clinic. In previous studies, the issues of greatest interest to patients were treatment options, natural history of illness and to share personal experiences. For this study, we analyzed user activity of PatientWeb to determine resources used after initial training on the system.
METHODS: We analyzed user logs of the first 21 enrolled users of PatientWeb. We looked at computer user log files for the first 2 months to determine who logged on after training and which resources they accessed. We further examined use of individual library articles to determine those of greatest interest to our patients.
RESULTS: After training, 16 of the 21 users logged onto the system and posted messages to their providers. Ten of the 16 users accessed the library. Each of the 10 patients reviewed at least one article on specific medications. Other articles accessed included; general principles of medical management of seizures (5) medication side effects (4), relaxation therapy (5), memory issues (3) and surgical treatment of epilepsy (4). Users spend an average of 6 minutes on an article, the longest time spent was 30 minutes.
CONCLUSIONS: Although the user logs only show if a patient has accessed the library, they do not show if the user has actually read the information. However, this preliminary data shows that users do access the system, and the majority of patients utilize the system to communicate with their providers. The level of use of the library was less than anticipated, thus demonstrating that static information certified by providers is not of the greatest interest to users.
[Supported by: National Library of Medicine]