Developing Informatics Tools and Strategies for Consumer-centered Health Communication
Document Type
Article
Department
Information Systems and Technology (CGU)
Publication Date
7-2008
Disciplines
Computer Sciences | Databases and Information Systems | Medicine and Health Sciences
Abstract
As the emphasis on individuals' active partnership in health care grows, so does the public's need for effective, comprehensible consumer health resources. Consumer health informatics has the potential to provide frameworks and strategies for designing effective health communication tools that empower users and improve their health decisions. This article presents an overview of the consumer health informatics field, discusses promising approaches to supporting health communication, and identifies challenges plus direction for future research and development. The authors' recommendations emphasize the need for drawing upon communication and social science theories of information behavior, reaching out to consumers via a range of traditional and novel formats, gaining better understanding of the public's health information needs, and developing informatics solutions for tailoring resources to users' needs and competencies. This article was written as a scholarly outreach and leadership project by members of the American Medical Informatics Association's Consumer Health Informatics Working Group.
Rights Information
© 2008, American Medical Informatics Association
Terms of Use & License Information
Recommended Citation
A. Keselman, R. Logan, C. A. Smith, G. Leroy, Q. Zeng-Treitler, "Developing Informatics Tools and Strategies for Consumer-centered Health Communication," Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA), 15(4), 473-483, 2008.
