Transforming Research Results Into Information That People Can Use
While effective treatments are available for some health conditions, they are not consistently used by patients. This is partly due to conflicting information on benefits and risks of treatment options, and challenges in adopting a new behaviour. Currently, there is an effort to present research results through plain language pamphlets, education sessions, and public symposia. But the impact of these methods can be limited if the information is provided at a different time and place than when people need to use it.
Canada Research Chair Dr. Linda Li directly addresses this issue by studying how people make treatment decisions and manage their health, and how they communicate with health professionals. She uses this information to develop user-friendly digital media tools to help people with chronic disease manage their health.
Digital media offer a range of applications—social networking tools, interactive games, animation, and video/audio recordings—that provide tremendous flexibility for delivering information when and where it is needed. It can be argued that the depth, richness, and accessibility of this information are infinitely greater when conveyed via digital media than the other, mor traditional methods of disseminating research results.
By harnessing the engaging power of digital media to deliver research results in ways that people can understand and apply, Dr. Li’s work will advance our practice in providing self-management and decision support for people living with chronic disease. This innovative combination of health and digital media will help modernize the way we deliver evidence-based treatment information.