 Technology: Update on the Literature John Richards Georgetown University Distance Learning Grantees Annual Meeting 2011

 Update on the Literature 81% of families, 97% of pediatricians, and 96% of state health department staff use the Internet to routinely locate health information (AAP, 2003; Fox et al., 2009; Turner et al., 2009). Web 2.0 technologies that emphasize active information sharing have exploded into the public health landscape because they “reinforce and personalize health messages, reach new audiences, and build a communication infrastructure based on open information exchange” (AHRQ, 2010). Facebook has over 350 million active users (50% log in every day ); in 2009 Twitter experienced a 1,382% growth rate (Burkhardt, 2010). Web 2.0 technologies are numerous and ever-evolving. In the public health arena, many applications have received attention for being effective in reaching families with children: health blogs, wikis, video-sharing sites, online social networks, data mashups, user-generated tagging/folksonomies… “Information overload!”

 Update on the Literature The right information at the right time? Users must now sift through mountains of material to find what is useful. Examples: a search for the keywords “child obesity” on Google yields 6,240,000 matches; a search for online support groups for families of children with autism spectrum disorders yields over 5,000 local and national groups; a search for “childhood asthma” on Twitter yields over 16,000 discussion topics in one week alone (data gathered online 10/04/2010). Evolution? The technologies of finding and sharing information have also become more numerous and complex as Web 2.0 has evolved. Examples: over 200 Internet-based Web 2.0 tools that have direct impact for public health; over 800 health-related smart phone applications available for purchase from communications carriers such as AT&T and Verizon; over 126,000,000 personal and professional blogs currently exist (Pingdom, 2010).

 Update on the Literature Specific Needs of Professionals. Despite the stated need that IT skills, including Web 2.0 technologies, are “essential for effective and efficient practice in MCH” (Polhamus et al., 2000), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that “little systemic work has been done to understand the information needs of the public health workforce” (Rambo et al.). Studies have found that there is a “persistent gap between needed technology skills and current technical capacity among public health professionals” (Polhamus et al.). Redesigned U.S. Public Health Service’s goals include to “improve IT skills among public health professionals and medical practitioners” (Public Health Data Policy Coordinating Committee).

 Update on the Literature Specific Needs of Families. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project study, 58% of parents stated that their most important source for health information is the Internet, not their pediatrician (Madden et al., 2006). However, numerous studies have also shown that when using IT, “parents will find poor quality information.” (Kind, 2009). There has been little research into how families use and can improve their IT skills. According to one study, only 2% of organizations surveyed focus on children’s health and technology as compared to 79% that have researched children’s education and technology (KirkHart et al., 2008). The Internet, particularly through Web 2.0 features, increasingly is being recognized as more than an information repository; it is now used “as a means to intervene and communicate, including user-generated content… particularly in rural and underserved areas” (Kind, 2009).

 Update on the Literature

 Collecting Resources. Health Information Group: New Media Primer. Distance Learning Toolkit.

























 And now for something completely different…

