As the public increasingly turns to complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies, more and more health professionals are asked about herbs (H) and other dietary supplements (DS) about which they may not have received formal education. The use of H/DS is particularly concerning to clinicians caring for children and adolescents because of the risks of toxicity in this vulnerable population. This project will evaluate the feasibility of providing an Internet-based, electronic educational intervention to help physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists who care for children learn more about the H/DS most often used by children and adolescents. Participants will be recruited from the Children's Hospital, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the Harvard Medical School in Boston. Interested clinicians will be randomized to an immediate intervention or a wait list comparison group. Both groups will be tested at baseline for knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP). The intervention group will receive a 3-part curriculum: l) 20 brief modules of case-based vignettes with a single multiple choice question and information about H/DS via e-mail twice weekly; 2) access to Web pages with the same modules and more in-depth evidence-based clinician information on the same topics; 3) a moderated electronic forum to discuss the information about H/DS from the modules, the Web page and the participants' clinical experiences. After the 20 modules have been distributed to intervention participants, all participants will receive follow-up KAP survey #l (content evaluation). The wait list group will then receive the curriculum. Both groups will then receive follow-up KAP survey #2 and an assessment of the educational intervention (process evaluation). Baseline and outcome content evaluations will be analyzed by researchers blinded to assignment status using descriptive statistics and an """"""""intention to treat"""""""" analysis, controlling for baseline scores as appropriate. Information from this pilot study will be used to prepare national electronic educational programs about H/DS for physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists who care for children and adolescents.
| Whelan, Julia S; Dvorkin, Lana (2003) HolisticKids.org--evolution of information resources in pediatric complementary and alternative medicine projects: from monographs to Web learning. J Med Libr Assoc 91:411-7 |
| Kemper, Kathi J; Amata-Kynvi, Andey; Dvorkin, Lana et al. (2003) Herbs and other dietary supplements: healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Altern Ther Health Med 9:42-9 |
| Kemper, Kathi J; Amata-Kynvi, Andey; Sanghavi, Darshak et al. (2002) Randomized trial of an internet curriculum on herbs and other dietary supplements for health care professionals. Acad Med 77:882-9 |
