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Uphold CR. Translating Evidence into Practice to Improve Outcomes of Stroke Caregivers Through Health Communications. Paper presented at: University of Maryland School of Nursing / VA Maryland Health Care System Annual Evidence-Based Practice Conference; 2011 Mar 31; Baltimore, MD.
Clinical guidelines for stroke rehabilitation emphasize the importance of culturally relevant and low-literacy caregiver education. To address this need, our investigative team used implementation science methods to develop, promote, and evaluate a health communication project to improve outcomes of stroke caregivers. The objectives were the following: 1. Discuss health communication and social marketing theories. 2. Discuss methods to develop low-literate, culturally sensitive health information. 3. Identify social marketing strategies that can be used to promote update of health information. Implemnation science methods were used. The methods consisted of planning, development and pretesting of health information, implementation, and evaluation. The RESCUE website for stroke caregivers was developed based on community participatory reearch methods, using focus groups and communications with providers. The RESCUE website consisted of 44 factsheets, self help materials, and a comprehensive resource list. Focus groups with providers and caregivers as well as WebTrends analysis revealed that the RESCUE website was professional, informative, and attractive and had high useage. The importance of addressing health literacy and cultural relevance in health communications was highlighted.
