Lipowski EE, Kimberlin CL; Association for Health Services Research. Meeting.
Abstr Book Assoc Health Serv Res Meet. 1997; 14: 287-8.
University of Florida, Gainesville 32610, USA.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: To test public acceptance of touch screen technology for the provision of prescription drug information and increase knowledge, improve compliance, decrease inappropriate medication use and stimulate patient-provider dialog. STUDY DESIGN: Individuals over age 21, regularly taking one or more prescription medications, were enrolled at one of 10 study sites statewide. Subjects alternately were assigned to treatment and control groups following a random start until the quota was reached. Control subjects (N=196) were interviewed about their knowledge and medication taking behaviors. The intervention group (N=186) freely accessed medication information and were interviewed by telephone two weeks later. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nearly all (99%) reported that the touch screen equipment was easy to use, that they would use it again, and recommend it to their friends. Information was judged to be new (66%), useful (97%) and easy to understand (99%), and most (91%) printed information to take with them. Persons interviewed two weeks after obtaining information were more likely than controls to report having recently received information and to know important aspects of their prescribed regimen. The intervention group consistently reported better compliance than controls although the improvement did not reach statistical significance. There was no evidence of increased interaction with a health care provider. CONCLUSIONS: Computer based technology in readily accessible public locations is a feasible way to provide up-to-date and understandable information about medication that is easy to use and of interest to consumers. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE AND POLICY: Aged, minority, underprivileged, and rural persons alike were willing and able to use computer based technology to obtain computer based health information when it was made available. Expansion to Internet access should be explored.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Attitude to Computers
- Complementary Therapies
- Computers
- Demography
- Humans
- Internet
- Interviews as Topic
- Patient Compliance
- Touch
- methods
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102233829
From Meeting Abstracts