Informatics for Consumer Health

NCI

Guided by feedback from the 2009 Informatics for Consumer Health Summit on Communication, Collaboration, and Quality, Westat devised a strategic communications plan to facilitate cross-sector collaboration and health information technology development for consumers. Our plan featured a web portal as the primary dissemination channel. This website, InformaticsForConsumerHealth.org, aims to keep federal and commercial partners, researchers, entrepreneurs, healthcare providers, software and application developers, and consumer advocates up to date on the latest innovations and opportunities in this emerging field.

Informed by usability testing with target audiences, we developed the website using the Drupal CMS—the same platform used by WhiteHouse.gov. It features

• Searchable databases of journal articles, events, and funding opportunities;
• Online forms for users to contribute items to the databases;
• A blog on hot topics in the field;
• A monthly electronic alert service; and
• An automated RSS feed.

Westat suggests content updates on a weekly basis. Enhancements are made on an iterative basis using findings from periodic heuristic review and user testing, and a monthly review of web analytics. Westat also manages two social media platforms—a Twitter handle and a LinkedIn group—to expand the website’s reach, foster partnerships, and make NCI a prominent voice in the conversation on informatics for consumer health.