COMPUTER-BASED TELECOMMUNICATION AMONG AN ILLNESS-RELATED COMMUNITY -DESIGN, DELIVERY, EARLY USE, AND THE FUNCTIONS OF HIGHNET

This article addresses the implementation and early use of a computer bulletin board for families affected by hemophilia. Trends involving t elemedicine and managed health care make investigating new forms of te lecommunication within an illness-related community essential. As a re sult, a text-based computer bulletin board, Hemophiliacs In Good Healt h Network (HIGHnet) was created and its early use studied. Six researc h questions are posed that address challenges encountered during creat ion of the system, factors influencing early use, and the functions of postings during early use. Creation of the board entailed design, est ablishment of sites and users, equipment procurement and distribution, and training. Early use results indicate that type of training has a significant effect on the number of postings sent. However, the demogr aphics of users (age, income, education, sex), the type of user (perso n with illness, spouse of, caregiver of, etc.), and the site's equipme nt needs do not influence early use. Six functions of the messages-and , therefore, the network-are identified: education, outreach, advocacy , improved psychological and physical health, business, and cost savin gs. Finally, challenges faced in implementation of the bulletin board and directions for future research are discussed.