UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: The objectives of this investigation are to evaluate information tailoring processes, cultural sensitivity and the effectiveness of education materials prescribed to patients in personalized online Patient Educational Prescriptions: the PEPTalk project. Our goal was to develop online patient education materials and an “educational prescription” process that was clinically relevant, reliable, and reflective of existing clinical education processes for breast cancer and head and neck cancer patients. We sought to answer the following: Are the PEPTalk process and materials easy to use, useful and culturally relevant from patients' perspectives? Is the PEPTalk prescription process and material easy to use and useful from clinicians' perspectives?

Methods: Iterative prototyping and participatory design activities were used to develop materials and the online prescription process with input from a variety of clinical partners, including physicians, nurses, clinical educators, informatics researchers and other healthcare workers. Usability testing was conducted with patients and clinicians who have accessed the online materials.

Results: Preliminary evaluation data show that materials and processes were designed effectively using participatory methods. Feedback collected from patients and clinicians has enabled the team to analyze results and make appropriate revisions to the PEPTalk web site, education materials and the online prescription process. Patients and clinicians find tailored, culturally relevant information for managing cancer useful and usable. Challenges remain regarding full integration in busy clinical processes, and we continue to develop the PEPTalk materials and processes using iterative feedback from key stakeholders.