PEDIATRICS Vol. 98 No. 3 September 1996, pp. 537-540
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SECTION ON COMPUTERS & OTHER TECHNOLOGIES 1996 ANNUAL MEETING PROGRAM

The AAP Guidelines for Health Supervision recommend age-specific anticipatory guidance and identification of health needs. A multimedia computer program was designed to obtain an accurate, comprehensive behavioral and health history, identify problem areas and health needs, give selective anticipatory guidance, and then provide problem-specific health advice and local referrals. Adolescent patients enjoyed anonymously engaging the nonjudgmental computer, which facilitated acceptance of medical advice. Within minutes, the computer completed the interview, printed feedback, dispensed specific handouts and then administered relevant audiovisual selections from a library of succinct, high-impact health education multimedia presentations designed for computer use.

Evaluation of educational media used at outpatient pediatric physical exams assessed improvements in users' knowledge regarding smoking and sex. Test instruments based on the content of each presentation script were developed to assess impact of two different automated interventions. One third of a random sample of 595 anonymous adolescent computer users (average age 15.4 years, 51% female) had audio-visual presentations administered; the second matched third had none but were dispensed handouts identical to the scripts, and one third as matched controls were computer users without handouts or presentations. Measures of six knowledge items about smoking and sex were separately made on control and two experimental groups.

Media users increased their knowledge of oral contraceptives, HIV testing, Depo-Provera, cigarette costs, smoker health care costs, and non-smoker longevity. The 215 computer/presentation users had 57% more knowledge improvements than the 194 computer/handout users; both groups showed significantly greater knowledge gains (p>0.05) than the control group of 186. There were 81% of teenagers who preferred the computer system over a personal interview.