Health-e VOICE

A Web-Based Clinical Risk Communication

Distance Learning Tool

BACKGROUND

Military personnel returning from tactical deployments and wartime service often describe disabling medical symptoms.

Most of these ailments are classified as “Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS)”

Health care providers tend to diagnose MUPS as an outcome of stress or other psychological causes.

For many veterans with post-deployment health concerns, the diagnosis of “stress” can be an invalidating and infuriating experience which may lead to mistrust in the care providers and the health system.

BACKGROUND - cont.

Reasons for conflicting explanations by the health care providers:

Lack of provider awareness of the importance of clinical risk communication,

Insufficient provider knowledge, skills and abilities in risk analysis.

Lack of provider time with the patient.

NEED FOR THE PROGRAM

There is minimal research concerning effective strategies that would improve communications of health risks in clinical setting.

Currently, web-based tools specifically designed to enhance health care providers’ clinical risk communication skills do not exist.

To fill this void, a team at the DoD Deployment Health Clinical Center along with associates from other participating agencies are developing a web-based interactive tool called the Health-e VOICE.

Health-e VOICE

The major goal of this project is to use a web-based interactive distance - learning tool to increase Department of Defense (DoD) health care provider effectiveness when communicating with recently deployed veterans about deployment related health concerns.

DEVELOPMENT OF Health-e VOICE

Qualitative research using focus groups will be utilized.

“Mental models” theory will be used to identify provider and patient… knowledge, beliefs, misconceptions, and values regarding deployment related

health concerns and MUPS.

FOCUS GROUPS

Will comprise of:

Physicians,

Other health care providers,

Previously deployed veterans with deployment related health concerns and their spouses,

Previously deployed veterans without deployment related health concerns.

FOCUS GROUP LOCATIONS

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Wilford Hall Medical Center, Texas

Ft Lewis/McChord AFB, Washington

WRAMC, Washington, DC

Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, USPACOM

Landstuhl Medical Center, Germany, USEUCOM

CONCLUSION

The Health-e VOICE distance learning tool is based on the hypothesis that improved clinical risk communication may alleviate unnecessary patient distress and physical

health concerns, reduce frustration and tension in the doctor-

patient relationship, and increase trust in care providers and the federal

health care system. A web based program would reach a broad

provider audience.