Computerized Health Assessment and Education for Adolescent HIV and STD Prevention in Health Care Settings and Schools

Abstract

This report summarizes a number of computer applications from a decade of experience with computerized adolescent health assessments and automated health education in a large health maintenance organization, military adolescent clinics, detention facilities, health fairs, and public schools. Feedback from over 5,000 adolescents is given for patient responses to and acceptance of computerized health assessments and preferences for automated health education modalities, including multimedia. Implications of the computerized approach to assessment of adolescent health risk behaviors and the provision of automated health education and HIV/STD prevention are considered in terms of efficiency, reliability, and access to health screening and educational services.

Computer-based Approaches to Patient Education: A Review of the Literature

“…Four programs were designed specifically for elderly patients, 15,35,41,46 four were designed for adolescents, 8,12,54,55 and six were for younger children. 3,6,25,32,33,49 …”

Adolescent Access to Online Health Services: Perils and Promise

“…Health risk behaviors are associated with the leading causes of adolescent mortality: namely, unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide [50][51][52][53][54][55] Screening and counseling are recognized to be key components of adolescent health preventive services [56]. Studies have not yet identified the role of preventive screening for adolescents in the online health care environment.…”

Gender-Specific Computer-Based Intervention for Preventing Drug Abuse Among Girls

“…Youths who receive prevention programs via computer can navigate through topic modules at their own pace, receive stimulating and varied content through interactive games, skill demonstrations, and guided rehearsals, and, in the process, enjoy high-quality graphics, judiciously placed text, and developmentally and culturally tailored audio tracks and computer animations. Computers are ideal for intervening with youth on such sensitive topics as drug and alcohol use because they allow for more private disclosure than interventions in live group settings (16,17). Further, variations in administration-always possible when interventions are delivered in person-are eliminated in computer-based approaches; all respondents receive the same information, rendering this method of delivery highly consistent over repeated administrations.…”