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Uphold CR. On-Line Resources for Providers and Stroke Caregivers Using the RESCUE Website. [Cyberseminar]. 2012 Dec 11.
Objectives: The objectives were the following: 1) discuss methods to develop low-literate, age-appropriate, and culturally-relevant health information, and 2) discuss how to implement health education and support to improve outcomes of stroke caregivers using the RESCUE website. Methods: We used the NIH health communication model, community-based participatory research methods, and evidenced-based "best practices" to create a low-literate, senior-friendly VA website that was written in both English and Spanish languages. The COPE Problem-Solving Model guided the content of the RESCUE website. We pretested the website in multiple ways: a) focus groups with providers (total n = 32), b) in-person interviews with culturally-diverse family caregivers (n = 45), and c) expert panel of clinicians (n = 11). We used VHA Twitter/Facebook, eBlast emails, health fairs at 13 VA medical centers, consumer/professional publications to market our website in order to increase awareness and usage. We evaluated the website with three processes: 1) online and telephone surveys with providers (total n = 53), 2) cognitive "think aloud" usability study with caregivers (n = 7) and providers (n = 7), and 3) Webtrends analysis. Results: The RESCUE (Resources and Education for Stroke Caregivers' Understanding and Empowerment) website (http:www.rorc.resarch.va.gov/rescue) consists of a library of 45 factsheets, a problem-solving learning module, self-help tools, resource list, patient education newsletters, and a glossary with phonetic spellings. Survey results indicate that providers are using the website for educating caregivers and view the website as informative, comprehensive, credible and up-to-date. Webtrends analytics found that there were over 6500 visits to the website and that website usage increased significantly following each promotional activity. The cognitive testing indicated that caregivers and providers could easily navigate the RESCUE website. Suggestions for improving the RESCUE website were to have additional topics, more interactive features, and additional testimonials. Impacts: The RESCUE website is a tool that providers can use for patient education and support interventions for caregivers.
