Good Googling: A Guide to Healthcare Information

Research Purpose

The purpose of this research is to improve a patient or caregiver’s ability to find trustworthy health information and, therefore, participate more fully in healthcare decision making. 

Study Background

Twelve percent of Americans possess adequate health literacy skills.  Populations with the lowest health literacy are those who experience disparities in health status, death, and illness.  A pilot health information literacy program was designed and provided for parents of children with complex medical needs. The program targeted finding and determining trustworthy information online and was evaluated using a pre-post survey design. Statistically significant results were found following the pilot program, specifically in improving parents’ confidence in accessing, interpreting, and communicating quality online health information.  These skills are necessary to promote family-centered care and decrease the burden on health care consumers. 

After the pilot study with parents, this study was expanded to include all populations: caregivers and patients seeking information for themselves or loved ones. To date we have collected data on 100 participants in live courses.

Implications

This year we will seek grant funding to create educational videos and a functional tool for families and caregivers to improve their ability to find their own health information and advocate better for themselves.

For more information, visit https://goodgoogling.wordpress.com/.

The Head Control Scale

Research Purpose

The purpose of this research is to improve a therapist’s ability to quantify head control for demonstration of outcomes, change or progress. 

Study Background

A review of literature of standardized assessments and therapist measurement tools already in practice was conducted. We found that most therapists were subjectively reporting head control and improvement or lack thereof. We have completed phase one and phase two of the project. In phase one we designed a scale for clinical use that would require no training and would be quick to administer. We met with a focus group of therapists to provide feedback on the scale. In phase two we had 25+ therapists use the scale while watching a video of a child with known neuromotor issues. Data was analyzed through SPSS using Chronbach’s alpha. Among the raters there was 96.5% agreement of scores, indicating high inter-scorer agreement on one subject.

Implications

The researchers are seeking therapists to complete phase 3 of the study with us. It would involve watching a series of videos and completing the scale, no more than 30 minutes. We will bring the videos to various sites around the Phoenix metro area.

For further information or to be involved in the study please contact Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth amy.armstrong@nau.edu or Jodi Thomas jthoma@midwestern.edu.

Using a Public Health Model for School-based Occupational Therapy Services

This research project is pending. Please check back with us later for more information and resources regarding this research topic. 

Occupational Therapy and Teacher Education: The Effectiveness of a Two Part In-service on the Topic of Self-regulation

For more information on this topic, download the informational resource here.