"""""""" Rural Chronically Ill Women: Online Support Network"""""""" is an innovative multidisciplinary telecommunication intervention project that provides a research-based model for conducting computer support groups and educational guidance via the computer and World Wide Web. The overall goal of this longitudinal telehealth intervention is to enhance the potential for rural chronically ill women to adapt better to their chronic illness. The computer-based intervention will assist rural women to experience the benefits of an on-line self-help support group, teach them the computer literacy skills necessary to find and discriminately evaluate health information available on the WWW, and provide health-related learning experiences. Engaging in this computer-based intervention (support and education) will enhance the women's potential to successfully adapt to their long-term illness. Indicators of the potential for adaptation include psychosocial status (social support, self-efficacy, self-esteem, empowerment, stress, depression, and loneliness), computer literacy skills, and health knowledge. The study will employ a three-cohort design: a mediated intervention group (www access, expert-guided health teaching modules, module discussion, self-help support), an independent intervention group (WWW access, self-guided health teaching modules) and a non-intervention group.
The specific aims are to: (a) assess the differences in psychosocial status among the mediated intervention group, the independent intervention group, and the non-intervention group; (b) assess the differences in computer literacy skills and health knowledge among the mediated intervention group, the independent intervention group, and the non-intervention group; (c) analyze the computer exchanges for insights to explicate the complex process of adapting to chronic illness within the rural context. It is hypothesized that the mediated intervention group will have more positive scores on the psychosocial status, computer literacy skills, and health knowledge measures than either of the other two groups. This computer-based intervention model has the potential to advance practice in the care of people with more than one chronic illness or to populations with multiple co-morbidities in urban and rural areas and can be adapted to any number of different kinds of groups, e.g., care providers, low-income populations.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01NR007908-01
Application #
6419080
Study Section
Nursing Research Study Section (NURS)
Program Officer
Tigno, Xenia
Project Start
2002-03-01
Project End
2005-02-28
Budget Start
2002-03-01
Budget End
2003-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$285,791
Indirect Cost
Name
Montana State University Bozeman
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
City
Bozeman
State
MT
Country
United States
Zip Code
59717
Cudney, Shirley; Weinert, Clarann (2012) An online approach to providing chronic illness self-management information. Comput Inform Nurs 30:110-7
Kelly, Catherine G; Cudney, Shirley; Weinert, Clarann (2012) Use of creative arts as a complementary therapy by rural women coping with chronic illness. J Holist Nurs 30:48-54
Marcille, Lisa Ann; Cudney, Shirley; Weinert, Clarann (2012) Loneliness as experienced by women living with chronic illness in rural areas. J Holist Nurs 30:244-52; quiz 253-4
Weinert, Clarann; Cudney, Shirley; Comstock, Bryan et al. (2011) Computer intervention impact on psychosocial adaptation of rural women with chronic conditions. Nurs Res 60:82-91
Spring, Amber; Cudney, Shirley; Weinert, Clarann et al. (2011) Spousal support experiences of rural women living with chronic illness. Holist Nurs Pract 25:71-9
Cudney, Shirley; Weinert, Clarann; Kinion, Elizabeth (2011) Forging partnerships between rural women with chronic conditions and their health care providers. J Holist Nurs 29:53-60
Winters, C A; Cudney, S; Sullivan, T (2010) Expressions of depression in rural women with chronic illness. Rural Remote Health 10:1533
Weinert, Clarann; Cudney, Shirley; Kinion, Elizabeth (2010) Development of My Health Companion to enhance self-care management of chronic health conditions in rural dwellers. Public Health Nurs 27:263-9
Weinert, Clarann; Cudney, Shirley; Spring, Amber (2008) Evolution of a conceptual model for adaptation to chronic illness. J Nurs Scholarsh 40:364-72
Weinert, Clarann; Cudney, Shirley; Hill, Wade G (2008) Rural women, technology, and self-management of chronic illness. Can J Nurs Res 40:114-34

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