Hello
The question of how to give patients access to the best quality evidence
is very challenging one. I think that it is possible to build these
kinds of resources, but that a lot of care needs to go into the
authoring process.
It's been our experience that evidence needs to go hand-in-hand with
usability and relevance, or else people don't find what they're after.
The key step is to have a clear understanding of your audience's needs.
What we've tried to do is:
1 Elicit all of the questions that your users ask about the topic
and
use that as the basis for designing the site;
2 Make sure that sites are comprehensive, in answering all of the
(foreground and background) questions;
3 Perform focused literature searching using evidence filters and
our own screening methodology;
4 Make sure that authors are clued up about EBHC and writing
content for a web audience;
5 Give them a very focused brief, pay them for their time and
support them with flexible online authoring tools;
6 Review the content for accuracy, importance and reliability;
7 Structure the information so that users can "drill-down" to the
level of detail that suits them;
8 Ensure that the site meets the highest standards of usability
(aiming for the three-click, fifteen second access);
Unfortunately, this is far more expensive than the "traditional" method
of slipping a few quid to a friendly GP or medical journalist and
getting them to write some stuff! However, we've found that this
approach is pretty flexible (e.g. integrating a client's existing skills
and
expertise) and are working with various groups now to create these kinds
of resources.
Let us know if you'd like to find out more, or have a look at our web
site (URL below).
Cheers
Douglas Badenoch
Development Manager
Minervation Ltd
7200 The Quorum
Oxford Business Park North
Oxford, OX4 2JZ
-----------------------------------------------------------
Tel +44 1865 487162
Fax: +44 1865 481482
WWW: http://www.minervation.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Evidence based health (EBH)
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lubna A.
Al-Ansary
Sent: 05 November 2003 12:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Patients' sources of evidence
Dear all,
I wonder if you know of websites or databases that is
patient oriented with evidence-based contents? How can
patients access the best available evidence on their
own?
Thanks in advance.I always appreciate your help.
Yours,
Lubna
=====
Dr.Lubna A.Al-Ansary, MSc, FRCGP
Associate Professor
Dept of Family & Community Medicine
College of Medicine, King Saud University
P.O.Box 2925, Riyadh 11461
SAUDI ARABIA
Email: [log in to unmask]
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