JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Introduction: Information provided by health professionals can be complex and is often not well understood by healthcare consumers, leading to adverse outcomes. A possible solution is to build consumers’ skills and confidence to check they have understood; however, there are few education resources available that support consumers to build these skills.

Objective:

This study aimed to co-design a web-based learning resource for consumers to actively check they have understood information provided by a health professional (i.e., to ‘check-back’).

Methods:

Methods:

Steps in this co-design study were guided by an Expert Panel including healthcare consumers and health professionals. Phase 1 aimed to understand barriers to consumer-initiated check-back through focus groups/interviews with consumers and health professionals in Victoria, Australia. Phase 2 involved co-design of the web-based learning resource with the Expert Panel. Usability of the resource was determined through a survey and focus group

Results:

Results:

Thirty-nine consumers and 13 health professionals participated in focus groups/interviews. Identified barriers included self-efficacy, pre-existing skills, attitude of the health professional, and information complexity. The co-designed ‘check-back’ resource is guided by a narrator, and includes videos, audio clips and personal action plans. Preliminary feedback indicates high usability and relevance.

Conclusions:

Conclusion: Findings highlight the value of using co-design to develop a consumer-centred, web-based learning resource. Further evaluation is required to demonstrate its effectiveness at improving consumer understanding. Clinical Trial: Not applicable