Diabetes and Your Eyes: A Pilot Study on Multimedia Education for Underserved Populations

There is a growing interest in the pursuit of consumer health information by individuals with chronic diseases. However, there is little data available regarding the use by underserved populations. The purpose of this pilot study was to create a multimedia lesson providing instruction on diabetes preventive care (i. e. dilated eye examinations) and investigate its usability and interest among these targeted outpatients. A touch screen 'kiosk' was incorporated into a clinical waiting room specificallyfor patient education. BACKGROUND More recently, touch screen 'kiosks' are being investigated in clinical environments. However, there are significant barriers to widespread use among vulnerable populations. These are related to the digital divide in access to technology, computer experience, health literacy, language and cultural differences. To overcome these challenges in providing consumer health information, we created and implemented a new multimedia application for an underserved patient population with diabetes.