The Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) proposes an innovative, school-based approach to adapting content contained in AHRQ-sponsored comparative effectiveness products on medical therapies with or without ACEs or ARBs for stable ischemic heart disease. The project's target audiences include high school students enrolled in introductory biology or life science courses (required in almost all U.S. states), adult teachers, and students'family members or caregivers. The overall goal is to improve the abilities of patients, family members and potential or future patients to access and appropriately use comparative effectiveness research (CER) decision-making tools related to medications for stable coronary heart disease. Another focus will be to develop generalized knowledge and skills of high school students ("future patients") to access, understand and use comparative effectiveness research review products and similar materials for health decision-making. The project will adapt already-translated products and information from CER reviews for use in schools as a means of reaching members of underrepresented minority, low income and other underserved populations. Project specific aims are as follow. 1) Recruit and support a national team of teacher leaders, who will work together and with BCM scientists, health specialists and educators, to adapt CER reviews and translated products as the basis for a curriculum unit designed to provide up to 3 weeks of discovery-oriented instruction as part of a high school biology course, in addition to take-home materials for family members. 2) Pilot the curriculum and supporting materials, in collaboration with the cadre of teacher leaders, a student advisory panel and a parent/patient advisory panel. 3) Revise the curriculum and supporting materials, and develop web-based tools for teachers-such as discussion forums, streaming video lesson demonstrations and downloadable teaching materials-to facilitate teachers'use of the unit with biology classes, and to enhance their own learning. 4) Disseminate the model for adapting CER products for school populations, along with the curriculum and related resources-lesson demonstrations, teacher professional development sessions, and materials aimed at families-via the well-established, high traffic website, BioEd Online (www.bioedonline.org) and through other, more traditional pathways. All project-related links, products and reports also will be shared publicly on AHRQ-related websites. All aspects of the project will be evaluated, both formatively and summatively, to gauge the quality and effectiveness with which project components are designed, delivered and implemented.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Baylor College of Medicine will translate and adapt AHRQ-sponsored comparative effectiveness products on medical therapies for coronary heart disease to build health decision-making skills of high school audiences, specifically students, teachers and students'family members/caregivers.

R18HS019248

2010-09-01

2013-08-31