AHRQ Health IT Update: Talking Touchscreen Expanded for New Uses

AHRQ Health IT Update: Talking Touchscreen Expanded for New Uses

AHRQ Health IT Update: Talking Touchscreen Expanded for New Uses

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sent this bulletin at 01/31/2014 09:30 AM EST

A tool funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has been expanded to help patients with limited literacy diagnosed with cancer or diabetes. The Talking Touchscreen®, a multimedia health information technology tool, was developed as a user-friendly way of assessing patient-reported outcomes and as a tool to help end health disparities in underserved populations. The CancerHelp Talking Touchscreen® and DiabetesHelp Talking Touchscreen® have been integrated with the CancerHelp Institute’s patient education programs. Patients now have access to information from AHRQ, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases on treatment, support, side effects and screening.

Developed in 2004 by Elizabeth Hahn, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the Talking Touchscreen® was first used in research studies in Chicago-area hospitals and has been integrated into Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. The Talking Touchscreen® became the basis for various other applications, including versions for Spanish-speaking patients, cancer patients, and diabetes patients.

To learn more about how this innovative tool is helping patients, read the Impact Case Study at:http://www.ahrq.gov/policymakers/case-studies/cp31312.html.