Evaluation of Health IT Tools and Resources Available at the AHRQ NRC for Health IT Web Site: Final Report

Phone Interview
11.15.2011

Introduction and Purpose:

You have been asked to be interviewed as part of this study. RTI International, a non-profit company in North Carolina is conducting a series of interviews. The interviews are sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. AHRQ is a government agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.

AHRQ is conducting a needs assessment to understand participants' perceptions of the types of tools and key issues in health literacy that need to be considered if developers and purchasers of health IT are to improve how they address health literacy and, in turn, ensure that consumer health IT is accessible and understandable regardless of literacy level.

Procedures:

You will be asked to participate in an individual phone interview asking for your opinions and reactions to specific materials. The interview will be audiotaped to make sure that your responses are captured accurately and to help us write a report summarizing the results of the interviews. The interview is expected to last no more than one hour. For your time and effort, you will receive $150; therefore, your mailing address will be requested at the time of the interview.

Risk/Discomforts:

There is no known physical risk to you from being in this study. You can decline to talk about any topic for any reason. You can also stop being in the interview at any time.

Benefits:

There is no direct benefit to you for being in this interview. What we learn from the interviews will help AHRQ to develop and deliver health care information resources to various groups.

Confidentiality:

We will be audio recording the interview. The audio files will be destroyed at the end of the project. Notes will be made of the recordings. You will only be referred to as "health literacy expert" "usability expert" "consumer health IT expert" or "human-computer interaction expert" in the notes. Your comments will be kept private to the extent allowable by law. The notes will be kept on a password-protected computer. Only authorized project staff will be able to see them. Any forms related to the project that have your name or information that could identify you will be kept in a locked file cabinet. These forms will be destroyed once the project ends. However, there is still a small risk that your privacy could be broken.

Payment:

You will be sent $150 for your time and effort.

Right to Refuse or Withdraw:

It is your choice to be in this interview. You can choose not to talk about any topic. You can stop being in the interview at any time.

Persons to Contact:

If you have questions about the interview you can call Jennifer Alexander at (301) 770-8219. She can be reached between 9 AM and 5 PM Eastern Standard Time Monday - Friday. If you have questions about your rights as a participant, you can call RTI's Office of Research Protection toll-free at 1-866-214-2043.

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