Design and implementation of an Internet-based health information resource

• Published in: Computer methods and programs in biomedicine Vol. 63; no. 2; pp. 85 - 97
• Main Author: Kahn, Charles E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.10.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Community Health Services; Computer-Assisted Instruction; Computerized medical documentation; Computerized, statistical medical data processing and models in biomedicine; Consumer health information; Databases, Factual; Electronic mail; Health care; Humans; Information management; Internet; Medical sciences; Outreach efforts; Patient education; World Wide Web; Outreach efforts; RDF, Resource Description Framework; HTTP, hypertext transport protocol; MeSH®, medical subject headings; World Wide Web; Electronic mail; SGML, standard generalized markup language; CGI, common gateway interface; Consumer health information; MCW, Medical College of Wisconsin; Patient education; HTML, hypertext markup language; Internet; W3C, World Wide Web Consortium; Performance evaluation; Human; Useful information; Information system; Primary health care; Health education; Electronic mailing; Implementation; Biomedical data processing; Physician patient relation; World wide web; Computer system; Program design; Medical application; Biomedical engineering
• ISSN: 0169-2607; 1872-7565
• DOI: 10.1016/S0169-2607(00)00079-1

In support of its institutional mission of community service, the Medical College of Wisconsin created a digital library of health information. This Internet-based resource, named MCW HealthLink, provides health news and information geared to patients, their family members, and the community at large. Information is delivered through a World Wide Web site and an e-mail newsletter. The web and e-mail components are integrated to maximize their utility to readers. This article describes the philosophy, design and implementation of the resource. Ongoing efforts include development of a health information resource tailored to the needs of individual readers.