AHCPR Offers Internet Access to Key Information for
Consumers and Health Care Community
Press Release Date: February 28, 1996
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research today
launched its World Wide Web site, making available a wealth of
practical, science-based health care information in one
convenient place. The AHCPR page joins other HHS agencies on the
Web, providing easy access to health information.
The new Web site—located at
http://www.ahcpr.gov—features information to help consumers
and their health care practitioners make informed health care
decisions; research on what works best in health care; and other
information and data central to AHCPR's mission to enhance the
quality, cost-effectiveness and delivery of health care
services.
"AHCPR's health care information has been proven to benefit
consumers, health care practitioners and providers, health
insurers, researchers and policymakers," said AHCPR Administrator
Clifton R. Gaus, Sc.D. "The agency's Web site now offers these
audiences an electronic directory of key data and information
through the Internet."
Visitors to the AHCPR home page (the "title" page of the Web
site) can get an overview of the Web site by clicking on the
"welcome" button.
Six buttons correspond to major categories of available
holdings on the Web site: Offices/Centers, News & Resources,
Research Portfolio, Data & Methods, Guidelines & Medical
Outcomes, and Consumer Health. There is also an Electronic
Catalog to the more than 450 information products generated by
AHCPR, with information on how to obtain these resources.
The Consumer Health section includes the consumer versions
of AHCPR-supported clinical practice guidelines—information
to
help consumers and their families make informed decisions about
preventing or treating common health conditions such as
depression, pain after surgery, cataract and acute low back
problems. Consumers also have access to information to help them
make decisions about whether and when to have elective surgery
(from the recently released brochure Be Informed: Questions
To Ask Your Doctor Before You Have Surgery).
"Expanding quick access to these products furthers AHCPR's
efforts to empower consumers with the information they need to
participate in their own health care and to maneuver in an
increasingly complex health care system," said Dr. Gaus.
Also featured on the new Web site are electronic versions of
the 17 clinical practice guidelines AHCPR has supported and
released thus far. These items were previously made available
only through the National Library of Medicine.
"We expect these offerings to be popular based on our
experience so far. Recently, we have averaged about 100,000
electronic accesses to the text of these guidelines per month.
In addition to usage across the United States, about 50 foreign
countries also have accessed the guidelines on the Internet,"
according to Dr. Gaus.
For policymakers, researchers and health care payers, the
Web site offers unique data from AHCPR's surveys and studies that
relate to the use and cost of hospital care, HIV/AIDS and
national medical expenditures. In addition, online newsletters
look at research activities in the areas of health services,
medical outcomes and health technology.
General organizational information on the agency also is
featured, including program contacts, research funding
opportunities, fact sheets, speeches and press releases.
The Web site, a dynamic information outlet, will include new
materials as they become available. These include practical
health care advice for consumers, important initiatives of the
agency to provide quality of care measures for health care
organizations and employers, relevant information tools for clinicians, and improved methods for health services research.
Researchers, policymakers, health care providers, consumers
and the media helped evaluate a test Web site and provided
feedback on content, presentation and ease of use prior to
today's official release.
AHCPR Web site users can send technical questions and
comments for agency staff via an E-mail address,
info@ahrq.gov, or call Gerri Michael-Dyer at (301) 427-1898.
This feedback will help to improve Web holdings as the site evolves.
For additional information, contact AHCPR Public Affairs: Salina Prasad, (301) 427-1864.
Internet Citation:
AHCPR Offers Internet Access to Key Information for
Consumers and Health Care Community. Press Release, February 28, 1996. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/web.htm
Return to the 1996 Press Release Index
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850