Health education monographs最新文献

A two year evaluation of a cancer information system accessible to the general public by telephone found a reported positive impact on behavior directly related to physical health for about 40 percent of a systematic sample of callers interviewed several weeks after their initial contact with the system. Another 20 percent of the same sample reported taking some positive action not directly related to health, or reported some other positive impact such as relief of anxiety as a result of hearing one of the system's 36 pre-recorded cancer lectures. Callers showed greater cancer knowledge, when interviewed, than a sample of non-callers, but no clear conclusion could be drawn because pre-call knowledge levels of callers were not ascertained. Data also were collected from callers at the time of their initial contact; caller characteristics patterns of calling, topics selected, and source of information about the system are reported. Results of experiments to increase public response are summarized.

A fifty-year historical review of public communications research, an analysis of factors influencing communication effectiveness, descriptions of fifteen cancer public communication programs, and recommendations for future cancer communications programs are presented. The programs described were specific to five cancer sites, were targeted to six types of audiences and included several types of educational objectives and communication modes. Recommendations include greater use of social science literature and evaluative designs in program planning; cooperative research to provide data suitable for educational diagnosis; and standardization of evaluation results to document effectiveness of techniques and strategies.

The literature of continuing medical education (CME) program evaluation was reviewed and analyzed. The "State-of-the-art" of CME evaluation is depicted in a series of tables which indicate evaluation methods and results. Evaluation designs providing strong assurances of valid results were not often found. The weakness of most published evaluations limit possible conclusions about the effectiveness of CME.

Health science students worked as members of interdisciplinary health teams as the teams provided services to multiple-problem Appalachian families. The family became the focus of attention in care delivery while the Problem-Oriented Medical Record (POMR) and the family health plan were used by the teams to provide services. Intra-team issues that evolved included communication, decision making, leadership style, and role identity.

Most health and medical care is provided by families and individuals to themselves. Self-care has become a salient public issue because of the emergence of chronic diseases as leading causes of death and disability; a new awareness of the limitations of conventional medical care; and social changes which emphasize greater personal control. Challenges arise in definition of professional roles in relation to organized self-care efforts, economic implications, and development of appropriate social policies. A negative potential exists for exploitation by interests which would limit movements for more equitable and higher quality health services, but should not obscure the positive potential for a strengthened partnership in health between the lay and professional worlds.

Family and self-help education courses were developed to promote better personal health through more appropriate utilization of health services in underserved rural areas. Instructional target areas were health problems of young children and the elderly and emergency situations. Objectives and evaluation criteria were formulated after consultation with representatives of participating communities and expert advisors. Community advisory committees were identified or created to supervise program development and implementation. Local instructors were utilized and developed specific course content. An evaluation of one course showed that knowledge and decision-making skills significantly improved for participants.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness, dynamics, and consequences of a health education intervention designed to increase patient question asking during the patient's medical visit. Data were collected at a Baltimore family and community health center which provides outpatient services to a low income, predominantly black and female population. The majority of the study participants were, in addition, elderly and chronically ill. A total of 294 patients and 3 providers took part in the study. The study design included random assignment of patients to experimental and placebo groups with two non-equivalent (non-randomized) control groups. Findings included: (1) The experimental group patients asked more direct questions and fewer indirect questions than did placebo group patients. (2) The experimental group patient-provider interaction was characterized by negative affect, anxiety, and anger, while the placebo group patient-provider interaction was characterized as mutually sympathetic. (3) The experimental group patients were less satisfied with care received in the clinic on the day of their visit than were placebo patients. (4) The experimental group patients demonstrated higher appointment-keeping ratios (an average number of appointments kept divided by an average number of appointments made) during a four-month prospective monitoring period.