1997 Partnerships for Networked Consumer Health Information Conference
Post-Conference Workshops and Panel Transcripts
April 17, 1997
Partnerships '97, with generous support from the Annenberg School for Communication, was pleased to offer post-conference sessions to improve skills and knowledge about online health information.
1. Workshop A. Online Self-Help Groups and Their Professional Allies. Led by Tom Ferguson, M.D., Senior Associate, the Center for Clinical Computing, Harvard University School of Medicine. 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
This workshop was jointly led by veteran online self-helpers and health professionals who facilitate, organize, or otherwise play leading roles in online self-help discussion groups, chat rooms, and other interpersonal health information services. The workshop explored cross-cutting issues and opportunities to enrich online health information exchange.
2. Workshop B. Health Communication and the World Wide Web. Led by HHS staff and public and private health website developers. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.
This workshop examined effective health website development in the context of HHS agency missions and basic health communication principles. Examples were drawn from HHS websites developed with a wide range of resources, along with leading commercial health information sites.
3. Workshop C. Evaluation Issues in Consumer Health Informatics. Led by Robert Hawkins, Ph.D., Professor, and Suzanne Pingree, Ph.D., Professor, University of Wisconsin. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.
What new issues does interactive technology pose for evaluation? Can we measure whether consumer health applications are effective in improving health and reducing unnecessary medical care? Why, when, and how can we evaluate interactive health communication?
4. Panel: Legislative and Policy Issues. Led by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Ph.D., Dean, Annenberg School for Communication, Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
A panel of policy experts, health professionals, and representatives of industry discussed key issues being addressed by Congress and the Administration, such as the privacy of personal health information in a networked environment, the regulation of personal health decision-support applications, communication as a Quality of Care issue, and the role of the Federal government in the growing consumer health information marketplace.
