HISPANIC FAMILY MEDICAL INFORMATION TELEPHONE HELPLINE

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DESCRIPTION: Support is requested to complete development and evaluation of a combined radio and telephone helpline, staffed by bilingual nurses with physician back-up, to assist Hispanic people make informed health care decisions. Based on Phase I findings that demonstrate radio to be both the most effective and most economical caller recruitment medium, the helpline will be enhanced by directly linking it to educational vignettes broadcast on Spanish language radio. Thus, the radio show and the helpline will be coordinated to focus on a single topic per day. The radio program and helpline will provide four main services to listeners and callers: 1) advice on routine medical concerns; 2) guidance and behavioral suggestions on cancer and chronic disease prevention; 3) information about cancer screening and treatment; and 4) referrals to local Spanish-speaking health care services. Evaluation will include: 1) focus group discussion on previews of radio programs; 2) collection of demographic and inquiry specific data from helpline callers; and 3) data on self care and resource utilization knowledge and skills. This service will be helpful for people without insurance and who cannot communicate with English-speaking medical personnel. We maintain that callers will be more informed and skillful self-care and medical care consumers.