SciPICH: Partnerships for Networked Consumer Health Information

The Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health

Panel Provides Framework for Judging at the Technology Games

To examine interactive health communication (IHC) technology and its potential impact on the health of the public, the Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health (SciPICH) was convened by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Partnerships has collaborated with the panel to enhance the popular Technology Games and incorporate expert recommendations for evaluating IHC applications entered in this year's events.

The panel is comprised of 14 national experts from a variety of disciplines related to interactive technologies and health, including medicine, human-computer interaction, public health, communication sciences, educational technology, and health promotion. Federal and external liaison groups representing more than 24 federal agencies and offices within and outside of DHHS and 25 non-federal or private sector organizations respectively provide assistance to the SciPICH in developing, reviewing, and disseminating its work. Since 1996, the panel has met several times a year to discuss and review its collaborative work and related products. The general goal of the panel is to accelerate the appropriate development, adoption, use, and evaluation of IHC applications.

The panel's most recent work includes the development of an Evaluation Reporting Template, a tool that proposes a standardized approach to planning and reporting IHC evaluations. Also, a panel assessment of interactive health communication was published in the October 14, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. An Evidence-Based Approach to Interactive Health Communication: A Challenge to Medicine in the Information Age concludes, "The challenge of the next decade will be to transcend the surface appeal of these technoloiges and harness their power to improve health of individuals and communities." A final report will be published early in 1999.

Visit the SciPICH Web site to learn more about the panel's upcoming publications and related work: http://www.scipich.org.

Updated: 06/26/03