Internet provides quick answers, new ideas
Eases communication with colleagues
When the executive medical director at City of Hope National Medical Center questioned the value of including digital rectal exams in a community cancer screening program, it didn’t take long to find proof of the tests’ validity.
The information was on the Internet.
A recent research study on the Web site for the National Cancer Institute showed that the exams reduced mortality from rectal cancer. "I printed out the information and sent it to the executive medical director to show that research supports our activities," says Annette Mercurio, MPH, CHES, director of health education services at the medical center in Duarte, CA.
The Internet is proving to be a valuable new tool. "I am on the Internet several times a day. On average, I spend about half an hour a day on the Internet," Mercurio says.
Several attributes make it so valuable, says Elizabeth Gomez, RN, MSN, AOCN, editor of ONS Online, a Web site available to the public and members of the Oncology Nurses Society. For one, information is easily accessible because there are no time or distance barriers, she says. Also, information on the World Wide Web doesn’t have the space requirements that piles of printed materials can generate. "When physical limitations are removed you can find a lot about many subjects in one information-seeking session," says Gomez.
Mercurio often enters the name of a cancer center or hospital she knows has a strong patient education program to find innovative ideas at its Web site. On one such site she found a skin cancer prevention program from which she was able to glean new ideas for a similar program at City of Hope.
Another benefit of the electronic medium is the ease with which it allows colleagues to communicate directly. Many Web sites provide areas where users can leave messages for others. Through the National Cancer Institute patient education network, Mercurio was able to contact other managers when setting up a resource center for cancer patients to determine what problems she might encounter during start-up efforts.
The Internet also offers patient education managers up-to-date information that can be helpful when creating a program, says Jo Yeoh, MSLS, library director at Grant-Riverside Methodist Hospitals in Columbus, OH. However, the Internet should not be the first avenue of research because the information is not always reputable, Yeoh cautions. First, gather information from print and database sources you know are reliable, Yeoh suggests. Then when you have a solid foundation and can be more discerning, supplement that information via the Internet.
Another advantage for program development that the Internet offers is contact with the general population. By tapping into discussion groups, you can find out what questions people are asking about a specific topic. The information can help in shaping program content.
The Internet can even give you a hand at finding help. When City of Hope needed graduate students to work on a grant project to provide on-line smoking cessation counseling, Mercurio sent a message via the Internet to the School of Public Health at UCLA in Los Angeles. "I use the Internet for many communications, because it is more efficient than the telephone," she explains. Several students responded and they are now in the process of applying for the grant, Mercurio says.
Identify available educational services
The Internet is also valuable because many community organizations use it to offer support and materials for specific patient populations and their caregivers, such as Alzheimer’s disease sufferers.
When Mercurio began developing a patient and caregiver resource center at the hospital, she searched the Internet for other organizations that deal with caregiver issues. This helped her find ideas, materials, and local resources for patient and family referral. For example, she found that California has regional caregiver centers throughout the state.
National organizations such as the American Cancer Society have Web sites that describe the services and educational materials they offer. Materials often can be printed from the site.
In fact it is so economical to transmit information via the Internet that many foundations for rare diseases have established Web sites. As a result, relevant, comprehensive information is available about diseases that are difficult to research using traditional methods, says Gomez. A good example is the International Myeloma Foundation site, which provides in-depth information about this rare cancer.
The ’Net allows you great access to the public, as Carol Bock, RN, MA, EdS, manager of health education at St. Luke’s Health System, has found out. Through the hospital Web site, she is able to alert her community to health seminars and screenings and posts short articles on nutrition, exercise, and stress management to encourage healthy lifestyles.
And patients who, for whatever reason, don’t attend support groups or educational sessions can get that information by accessing the ’Net. "People can log onto the Internet and either chat in real time with people who have similar diseases or attend an educational session," she says. (See list of useful Internet sites, inserted in this issue.)
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