Kansas City - KansasHealthOnline.com will be meeting with consumers across the state to hear about the health information needs of Kansans. These focus groups give consumers an excellent opportunity to help shape the kind of information that will be available on Kansas Health Online. In addition to providing information about how consumers use health information on the internet, the information gathered during the focus group will be made available to policy makers at a time when health reform is gaining increasing interest at the state and national level.
Kansas Health Online is a new web site that provides health information for consumers. It's a collaborative project developed by the Kansas Health Policy Authority, the State Library of Kansas, and Dykes Library at KU Medical Center.
Kansas Health Online empowers Kansans to make more informed decisions by providing information on health and health care in an easy to use and easy to understand format. Consumers will find tools, links, and information to compare hospitals, find doctors, compare health plans, analyze symptoms, get the latest information on medical conditions, make healthy lifestyle choices, and learn more about health policy.
Public libraries and the Internet are often the first place consumers turn for medical information. Research has indicated consumers who use the library as a health resource bring new information to their healthcare providers, make lifestyle changes, ask additional questions, and reduce their anxiety levels. In focus groups conducted by the Reference Point Foundation, consumers report that health information found through libraries is valuable and affects their health care decisions. In fact, 60 percent of the participants in the Reference Point Foundation project said that libraries were among their preferred sources of health information.
In addition to conducting these focus groups, Kansas Health Online representatives will be hosting Kansas Health Online Days across the state. Aimed at librarians, public health workers, and other health care providers, workshop will highlight features of Kansas Health Online. It also includes a roundtable discussion to allow a conversation about common questions and concerns received from the public. This feedback will also help shape the content of Kansas Health Online.
Related topics for stories and interviews: Public Libraries and Public Health
- Dykes Medical Library teams up with the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library to promote health and fitness
- Dykes Medical Library and the State Library of Kansas and the Health Policy Authority work together to bring health information to Kansans
For more information or to set up an interview please contact:
Julie Broski at jbroski@kumc.edu
Dykes Medical Library
University of Kansas Medical Center
913-945-6681
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