Web videonovela series helps Spanish-speaking patients compare treatments for diabetes
A new Spanish-language
videonovela, Aprende a vivir
(Learn to Live), features messages
to help diabetes patients compare
their treatment options to find a
regimen that works best for them.
The three-part videonovela series
began being distributed via the
Internet by the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) as part of a wide range of
activities that celebrated National
Minority Health Month in April.
Aprende a vivir tells the story of
Don Felipe, who has type 2
diabetes and is head of the Jiménez
family, and the problem he has
learning to manage his disease. The
first episode was released April 26
on AHRQ's Healthcare 411 website
http://healthcare411.ahrq.gov/aprendeavivir.aspx. The following two
episodes were released in early
May.
The videonovela series shows how
Don Felipe, with the support of his
family, comes to understand that he
needs to speak with his health care
team about his treatment options
rather than skip his medication
because of side effects. Research
shows that people with type 2
diabetes often have problems
adhering to medication schedules.
Causes may include low health
literacy, poor patient-provider
communication, cultural barriers,
and other factors.
Data from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
show that in 2007-2009, after
adjusting for population and age
differences, nearly 12 percent of
Hispanics 20 or older had been
diagnosed with diabetes. AHRQ
data show that in 2008, Hispanics
were more than twice as likely as
non-Hispanic whites to be admitted
to a hospital for uncontrolled
diabetes without complications, and
were twice as likely to be
hospitalized for long-term
complications from uncontrolled
diabetes.
"Closing gaps in health care
disparities among Hispanics and
other Americans is a priority for
AHRQ, and Aprende a vivir will
contribute to this effort," said
AHRQ Director Carolyn M.
Clancy, M.D. "The videonovela
series provides a compelling
platform for bringing to life some
of the important everyday issues
central to effective patient care."
The Healthcare 411 Web site will
showcase not only the Aprende a
vivir series, but also links to patient
education resources on comparing
treatments for diabetes, and
selected other health information
from AHRQ and across the
Department of Health and Human
Services. The materials are
available in Spanish and English.
Viewers of the Aprende a vivir
series will also have the option of
selecting captions in Spanish or
English. The episodes, which vary
from 5 to 7 minutes each, will also
be available on AHRQ's Spanish-language
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/AHRQehc.espanol .
"Aprende a vivir is an entertaining
way to model and reinforce healthy
behaviors without lecturing," said
Ileana Ponce-Gonzalez, M.D., AHRQ's Spanish-language
spokesperson. "The videonovela as
an educational tool is beneficial for
individual consumers,
patients, clinicians, promotores de
salud, educators, and advocates to
improve the quality of care and
patient safety of people living with
diabetes."
For information in Spanish about
diabetes from the CDC go to
http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/spanish/ and
from the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases, go to
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/index_sp.aspx.
For the latest information on
Hispanics' access to and quality of
health care, go to AHRQ's 2011
National Healthcare Disparities
Report at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/qrdr11.htm.
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