Final Report Released by Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Wired for Health and Well-Being: The Emergence of Interactive Health Communication - Government Activity

Health Management Technology, August, 1999

The Science Panel on Interactive Communication and Health, an independent body convened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), released its final report, Wired for Health and Well-Being: The Emergence of Interactive Health Communication.

The panel proposed four broad strategies for ensuring that IHC will enhance health and healthcare: 1) strengthen the evaluation and quality of applications, 2) improve basic knowledge and understanding of IHC, 3) enhance capacity of people to develop and use IHC, and 4) improve access to IHC for all populations. They concluded that IHC has great potential to improve health but may also cause harm. Their report outlines the potential for inaccurate, inappropriate, or poor design to result in harmful health outcomes.

A central area of concern outlined in the report is the lack of public disclosure of information for consumers to judge the credibility of the health information they are viewing and to make informed decisions.

The Science Panel proposes that application developers and sponsors routinely post such information on their Web sites or other applications, and offers an "evaluation reporting template" and "disclosure statement," available free at www.scipich.org to help implement this practice.

The Science Panel and its Web site at are managed by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), HHS. The entire report, adapted for Web viewing, is posted at www.scipich.org/pubs/finalreport.htm.>

COPYRIGHT 1999 Nelson Publishing

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group