Interactive Health Communication Applications What are they What

Interactive Health Communication Applications What are they? What can they do for patients? Elizabeth Murray DH Career Scientist in Primary Care University College London

IHCA for patients with chronic disease • Needs of patients with chronic disease • NHS Policies • IHCA

Your Task • Turn to your neighbour and introduce yourselves • Imagine you, or a close family member has just been diagnosed with a chronic disease like diabetes or heart disease • Think about how you would feel, and what you would like to know.

Needs of patients with chronic disease Information – – What is the disease I’ve got? What causes it? Why did I get it? What does it mean for me personally? What can I do to help myself? Emotions – – Anger, Fear, Sadness, Guilt Hope, Reassurance, Support

NHS Policy

NHS Policy: Self-care: “One of the key pillars of the NHS Plan” “Encourages partnership in decisionmaking, supports them in managing their [condition], and helps them to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle”.

NHS Policy: Information for Health • £ 1 billion • Information for professionals and patients • Improving quality and range of information available to patients – About their condition – On lifestyle and health

Interactive Health Communication Applications: Definition: Computer packages combining health information for patients with peer support, decision support or behaviour change support.

Potential benefits of IHCA • Relay information • Enable informed decision-making • Promote self-care • Promote healthy behaviours • Promote peer information and support • Manage demand for health services.

Is there a match between IHCA and NHS policy? Self-Care IHCA • Information • Support • Peer support • Decision-making • Decision support • Healthy Behaviours • Behaviour Change

Interactive Health Communication Applications for Patients with Chronic Disease: A Cochrane Systematic Review Elizabeth Murray, Jo Burns, Sharon See Tai, Rosalind Lai, Irwin Nazareth University College London Funded by: Department of Health, No. CTEN.

Results 24, 757 citations 958 papers 35 RCTs 7 excluded 28 included studies

Knowledge

Social Support

Behaviour change

Conclusions • IHCA are one potential method of achieving NHS policy on self-care • IHCA improve user knowledge and perceived social support • Some IHCA help users adopt healthy behaviours, but some do not. • Need further research into what makes IHCA effective, and effects on clinical outcomes.