Assessing Health Information Needs:

1
Assessing Health Information Needs Globally and
Locally HIPNet Meeting June 17, 2009 Tara
Sullivan Saori Ohkubo Elizabeth
Frazee Adrienne Kols
2
K4Health Project

• USAID-supported 5 year Associate Award
• Implemented by
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP)
• In partnership with
• Family Health International (FHI) and Management
  Sciences for Health (MSH)

3
K4Health Mission

• Quality health information captured, synthesized,
  and made easy to find and easy to use for policy
  makers, program managers, and service providers.

4
K4Health KM Model

• Engage Networks work with existing networks and
  nurture communities of practice to collaborate on
  common topic of interest
• Manage Content train COPs to use collaborative
  publishing solutions (TPT, DIY, CPT) to capture,
  organize, adapt and create knowledge
• Deliver Knowledge use web based, mobile,
  face-to-face, digital and print channels to reach
  audiences
• Exchange Knowledge facilitate forums and develop
  e-learning programs

5
K4Health Needs Assessment

• Purpose
• To provide research and analysis of health
  information needs, networks, technology and
  tools, infrastructure, and key stakeholders,
  globally and in multiple regions and countries.

6
Research Questions

• What are the health information needs of USAID
  health officers, program managers, healthcare
  providers and community health workers?
• What infrastructure exists to support information
  and communication technologies (ICTs)?
• What are the most promising technologies and
  tools?
• What health information networks exist and how
  can they extend reach and use of health
  information?
• Who are the key health information stakeholders?
• What are the challenges to accessing and using
  up-to-date health information?

7
Methods

• Environment Scan
• Online survey
• Multi-country qualitative study

8
Methods Environment Scan

• March 2 May 8, 2009
• Search of published literature using PubMed and
  online databases and bibliographies
• Internet search for grey literature, relevant
  projects, and health information networks
• Interviews with knowledge managers at 17
  organization that are active members of HIPNet

9
Methods Online Survey

• March 25 to April 24, 2009
• 39 questions addressed demand for health topics,
  resources and tools of interest, information
  delivery and sharing preferences
• Dissemination using a targeted e-mail
  announcement to
• USAID, WHO, UNFPA, CAs (headquarters and field
  offices)
• Relevant listservs/discussion groups (HIFA2015,
  IBP, HIPNet)
• 808 responses English540 (67), French88
  (11), Spanish180 (22)

10
Background Characteristics

• Online Survey Respondents

By Job Function
By Region
11
Methods Multi-Country Qualitative Study

• June September 2009
• Countries
• Africa Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda
• Asia India
• LAC Peru
• In-depth Interviews
• Network stakeholder interviews
• Focus group discussions

12
Results Needs

• Providers need information that is
• Trustworthy
• Up-to-date
• Relevant to the local setting
• Practical
• Easy to digest
• Convenient and accessible

Source Environment Scan
13
Results Needs

• For Information, Health Workers in Developing
  Countries Rely on
• Workshops and meetings sponsored by the facility
  or health care system
• Official materials, such as guidelines, manuals,
  and hospital protocols
• Discussions with colleagues
• Textbooks
• Internet, if available

Source Environment Scan
14
Results Needs

• Top 4 Useful Information Resources by Job
  Function Function

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
15
Results Needs

• Top 4 Program Management Topics by Job Function

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
16
Results Needs

• Top 4 FP/RH Topics by Job Function

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
17
Results Needs

• Top 4 FP/RH Topics by Region

Sorce Online Survey
Source Online Survey
18
Results InfrastructureMore and More People
Online
Source Environment Scan
19
Results InfrastructureAfrica and Asia Lag in
2008
Source Environment Scan
20
Results InfrastructureObstacles to Internet
Access in Developing Countries

• Poor infrastructure lack of electricity, phone
  lines, ISPs, bandwidth
• High costs of hardware, software, and
  connections
• Lack of human capacity limited computer literacy
  and skilled IT professionals
• Inappropriate content mostly in English,
  requires high literacy and Internet savvy, little
  content is created in and relevant to the South

Source Environment Scan
21
Results Tools and TechnologyMobile Phones
Growing Faster Than Other ICTS
Source Environment Scan
22
Results Tools and TechnologyMobile Phones Lead
in Every Region
Source Environment Scan
23
Results Tools and TechnologyCapabilities of
Mobile Devices

• SMS (texting) Inexpensive, low bandwidth, but
  limited to brief messages
• Voice Slow but does not require literacy new
  technologies emerging
• Wireless Internet connectivity limited
  availability, small screen size
• Electronic storage PDAs can function as
  knowledge repository

Source Environment Scan
24
Results Technology and Tools

• E-mail Usage by Job Function

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
25
Results Technology and Tools

• E-mail Usage by Region

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
26
Results Technology and Tools

• Useful Electronic Resources by Job Function

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
27
Results Technology and Tools

• Useful Electronic Resources by Region

Source Online Survey
Source Online Survey
28
Results Technology and Tools
Routine Access to IT Devices

• 90 Computer with a CD-ROM drive
• Over 85
• Computer with the Internet
• Mobile phone
• Printer
• 80 DVD player
• 30 iPod/MP3 player
• 15 PDA

29
Results NetworksSocial Networking Growing
Rapidly
Source Environment Scan
30
Results Networks

• Professional Networks Mentioned by Survey
  Respondents

Source Online Survey
31
Results Barriers

• Complaints about health information sources
  include
• Materials are out of date, inappropriate,
  irrelevant, and/or costly
• Internet access is unavailable or expensive
• Limited access to meetings, medical societies
• Providers are too busy
• Lack of a reading culture
• Information overload

Source Environment Scan
32
Results BarriersBarriers mentioned by survey
respondents
Source Online Survey
33
Key Findings from HIPNET Member Organizations

• Knowledge sharing activities rarely extend as far
  as frontline providers and managers
• Heavy reliance on informal feedback to assess
  information needs of audience and to judge
  success of products
• Most rely on email to communicate with staff and
  outsiders and on the web to disseminate materials
• Internal COPs have proven extremely useful

Source Environment Scan
34
HIPNET on new technologies

• Positive experiences with wikis and
  web-conferencing
• Great interest in mobile devices and new video
  technologies, but not clear how to exploit them
• Generational divide in opinions of and enthusiasm
  for Web 2.0 tools
• Recognize that social networking is young
  peoples preferred mode of communication, but
  struggling to figure out how to use Facebook
  effectively

35
HIPNET on knowledge networks

• Tend to rely on a few trusted websites and
  listservs prefer networks with narrow technical
  focus
• Few networks mentioned more than one person IBP,
  Core Group, and HIPNET
• Staff at field offices promote knowledge sharing
  by joining local taskforces, working groups, and
  professional groups local networking relies
  almost exclusively on face-to-face communication.

36
ImplicationsSelect Appropriate Technologies

• Do not migrate too quickly from old to new
  technologies
• Anticipate and address bandwidth issues
• Explore mobile devices consider voice, texting,
  and web-based applications
• Take advantage of new voice and video
  technologies
• Embrace social networking sites as a model, if
  not a platform

Source Environment Scan
37
Implications Use Multiple Channels
Technologies

• Use face-to-face and virtual interaction to
  reinforce one another
• Seek out and work with local intermediaries to
  extend the reach of the Internet, including radio
  and cybercafés
• Package the same content in multiple formats
• Collaborate with local partners to move
  information the last mile

Source Environment Scan
38
Implications Meet the need for local content

• Goals
• Translation into local languages
• Solutions for low-literate audiences
• Content tailored to local settings
• Content repackaged for specific health cadres
• Methods
• Adapt global materials
• Help local people create their own content
• Promote knowledge sharing between countries
• Recruit information specialists to help

Source Environment Scan
39
Implications Conduct needs assessments and ME

• Rely on pull models that respond to the
  information needs of the audience
• Assess both perceived and real information needs
  of audiences
• Systematically evaluate the use of key
  information products

Source Environment Scan

40
Recommendations for K4HealthEngage Networks

• Formalize feedback mechanism to/from audience
  members
• Create CoPs focused on specific technical and
  geographic areas
• Partner with in-country intermediaries who can
  serve as community access points

41
Recommendations for K4HealthManage Content

• Collaborate with network members to gather
  materials and to review and field test knowledge
  toolkits
• Actively promote toolkits as authoritative,
  trustworthy, up-to-date, practical and
  easy-to-find and easy-to-use
• Train in-country partners to adapt materials in
  toolkits and create new materials

42
Recommendations for K4HealthDeliver Content

• Enable users to add content and participate in
  forums on the Website through email
• Use popular applications such as YouTube for
  hosting video content to make it more accessible
• Provide a link to CD-ROM version of toolkits to
  be downloaded and burned locally

43
Recommendations for K4Health Exchange Knowledge

• Develop user forums centered around topic
  preferences and K4Health publishing toolkits
• Provide podcasts of e-learning courses
• Link e-Learning course and CoPs for continued
  training and discussion

44
Next Steps

• Disseminate preliminary results widely
• Complete multi-country qualitative study
• Disseminate results and develop recommendations
  locally
• Disseminate results and develop recommendations
  globally

45
For more information

• K4Health Environment Scan
• Currently available
• Contact Tara Sullivan (tsulliva_at_jhsph.edu)
• Results of online survey
• Available mid-July
• Contact Saori Ohkubo (sohkubo_at_jhsph.edu)
• Complete report
• Available early November
• Contact Tara Sullivan (tsulliva_at_jhsph.edu)

46
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health Center for Communication Programs 111
Market Place, Suite 310 Baltimore, MD 21202 Tel
410-659-6300 Fax [phone] Contact Earle
Lawrence, Project Director (elawrenc_at_jhuccp.org)