SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- Copmprehensive Resource to Enhance Consumer Health Informatics Evaluation Research
- Notice Date
- 7/28/2008
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 611310
— Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland, 20894
- ZIP Code
- 20894
- Solicitation Number
- 08-171
- Response Due
- 8/7/2008 12:00:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 8/22/2008
- Point of Contact
- Sally Boakye,, Phone: 301-435-4383, Ryan K Singletary,, Phone: 301-496-6546
- E-Mail Address
-
boakyes@mail.nih.gov, rs626j@nih.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Description of services It is the intent of the National Library of Medicine to procure professional services on a sole source basis from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The period of performance will be for a period of 12 months from the date of award. Background Currently, there is no resource or tool kit that recommends outcome variables a researcher might use for a comprehensive consumer health informatics evaluation. Some routinely used outcome variables include: demographic, psychographic, health information uses, health information gratifications, utilization, perceived consumer information needs, health literacy, readability, perceived information quality, and others. The envisioned resource will provide a reservoir of suggested outcome variables that will make it easier for non-domain experts to engage in research activities. It also will provide a guide that NLM can use to enhance intramural and extramural consumer health informatics evaluation. There is a pressing need for a resource to help investigators with even the most straightforward consumer health informatics survey research challenges. For example, in a consumer health informatics survey, what is the optimal way to ask a respondent’s income and educational levels? (These are standard demographic outcome variables). Different researchers use different metrics and measures, but of the many choices, which is the most grounded in past research and is expressed in a way that is least obtrusive and encourages accurate responses? By answering this question as well as making recommendations for many others, the proposed resource would provide a comprehensive resource drawn from consumer health informatics, health communication, mass communication, health literacy, and health campaign research that lists recommended outcome variables, suggested measures to operationalize them -- all with appropriate citations. In the future, the project might be turned into a comprehensive resource where experts will be asked annually to submit additions and revisions. The creation of the initial pilot for the resource, which is envisioned as a one year project, will demonstrate the potential of the resource transform NLM’s consumer health informatics evaluation and influence the course of consumer health informatics research. The proposed resource (and initial pilot) is a continuation of a consumer health informatics conceptual model that Logan and Tse presented at Med Info in summer 2008 (Robert A. Logan, Tony Tse, A Multidisciplinary Conceptual Framework for Consumer Health Informatics. Medinfo 2007 12 (Pt2):1169-1173) and a new white paper by the American Medical Informatics Association’s consumer health group (Alla Keselman, Robert A. Logan, Qing Zeng-Treitler,Catherine Arnott Smith and Gondy Leroy, Developing informatics tools and strategies for consumer-centered health communication) Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. In press. Synopsis: This pilot project will prepare a master resource of outcome variables and suggested measures to guide comprehensive consumer health informatics evaluation. This pilot project is to be done in collaboration with NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison as well as NLM’s consumer health informatics working group. The primary responsibility for completion of the proposed work will be the contractors. The contractor will provide a pilot for a comprehensive resource to inform future NLM consumer health evaluation projects. The eventual resource is envisioned as a tool kit NLM can use and also will be available as a professional development tool to other consumer health informatics researchers. The contractor will provide a minimum of 25 outcome variables, with a specific suggested measure for each variable, and a citation of the source. In cases where there are differences in approaches to variables, the contractor will include a short (3-4 paragraph) description why the suggested measure was selected from others that may be used. The contactor also should specify the academic disciplines where each suggested outcome variable commonly can be used in consumer health research among the following: journalism, public communication, social marketing, strategic communication, health communication, health literacy, science communication, health campaign, and consumer health informatics research. The resource will be written in Microsoft Word compatible format. The contractor will use Dreamweaver, or similar web creation software, to convert the Microsoft Word file into a format so it can be migrated to an Internet site. The Internet site can be created and maintained for the length of the pilot at the contractor’s home university. However, the web site will be transferred immediately at the time of request to the National Library of Medicine. The contractor will prepare the web site with technical collaboration with NLM’s Office of Communication and Public Liaison, so its content seamlessly can be transferred to NLM (following the completion of the pilot). The contractor also will provide a plan for the completion and sustainability of a more comprehensive consumer health informatics resource. This plan should include a minimum of 25 new outcome variables to be assessed, or supplemented to those assessed for the pilot. However, the contractor is not responsible for the research to complete these added 25 variables. The plan should make specific recommendations about how to sustain the resource. This includes a plan that could engage graduate students in the project in the future, recommendations to improve the website that the pilot will create, and ideas about additional venues to disseminate the resource. Objectives: The contractor will prepare a plan of the measures to be assessed. The contractor also shall develop a list of recommended outcome variables to be added to complete a comprehensive resource in the future. For the pilot, the contractor minimally will propose a list of 25 outcome measures in the following areas: prominent consumer based demographics (such as age, income, education, race, ethnicity, geographic location, internet access, media use, etc) as well as self-efficacy, health literacy, and consumer health information seeking, The contractor is expected to propose and complete additions to this initial list. The contractor will annotate this list with appropriate citations drawn from the appropriate literature. The contractor will provide a specific suggested measure for each variable, and a citation of the source. In cases where there are differences in approaches to variables, the contractor will include a short (3-4 paragraph) description why the suggested measure was selected from others that may be used. The contactor also should specify the academic disciplines where each suggested outcome variable commonly can be used in consumer health research among the following: journalism, public communication, social marketing, health communication, health literacy, science communication, health campaign, and consumer health informatics research. The resource will be written in Microsoft Word compatible format. The contractor will work with NLM to foster a seamless transfer of the content generated by the pilot from a website hosted by the contractor to NLM. To do so, the contractor will use Dreamweaver, or similar web creation software, and convert the Microsoft Word compatible file into a format so it can be migrated to an NLM managed Internet site. During the pilot, an Internet site can be created and maintained at the contractor’s home university. However, the web site’s content will be transferred immediately to the National Library of Medicine at the time of NLM’s request. NLM also reserves the right to ask the contractor to close the pilot website upon transfer of the content to NLM. The contractor will prepare the pilot web site with technical collaboration with NLM’s Office of Communication and Public Liaison, so the content and host seamlessly can be transferred to NLM. The contractor also will provide a plan for the completion and sustainability of a more comprehensive consumer health informatics resource. This plan should include a minimum of 25 new outcome variables to be assessed, or supplemented to those assessed for the pilot. However, the contractor is not responsible for the research to complete these added 25 variables. The plan should make specific recommendations about how to sustain the resource. This includes a plan that might engage graduate students in the project in the future, recommendations to improve the website that pilot will create, and ideas about other venues to disseminate the resource. Required tasks: The following tasks are to be completed as outlined. Task description: Phase 1 Subtask 1. A list of the 25 outcome variables to be assessed in the project’s pilot year. The list shall contain phased in completion dates for completion that is spread out from the third to the 11th month of the project, described in Phase 2 below. Subtask 2. The creation of a plan to recommend other outcome variables (not assessed in the pilot) that should be added in future years. This plan, which is described under synopsis and proposed work above, shall be done in monthly, iterative stages with reports given to the designated project officer in NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Phase 2 Subtask 1. The contractor shall provide a list of recommended consumer health informatics outcome variables (drawn from journalism, public communication, social marketing, health communication, health literacy, science communication, health campaign, and consumer health informatics research). The recommendations should be completed in monthly, iterative stages with reports provided to the designated project officer in NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. The requirements are specified under the synopsis and proposed work above. Subtask 2. The list shall include the operationalization of these outcome variables within suggested measures with applied examples and appropriate citations of prior use as described in the synopsis and proposed work above. Subtask 3. The contractor will provide a printed report to NLM that should be in Microsoft Word compatible format that can be easily transferred to the Internet. Phase 3 Subtask 1. Completion of a demonstration website (at the contractor’s institution) to demonstrate the pilot’s findings, so the contractor’s recommendations will have a wider public distribution. Technical meeting between the contractor with NLM staff so a transfer of the website can be accomplished with minimal NLM staff time from the contractor’s to NLM’s servers. The meeting should be arranged by the contractor and the designated project officer at NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Deliverables: Phase 1 Deliverables: Two months after the contract award when the first subtasks described in Phase 1 is completed and six additional variables described in subtask 2 are completed. Monthly progress reports will be due to the designated project officer at NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Phase 2 Deliverables: Subtasks 1-3 should be phased in on a monthly basis starting in the third month after the contract begins and ending in month 11 after the contract begins. Monthly progress reports will be due to the designated project officer at NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Phase 3 Deliverables: Subtask 1 should be phased in on a monthly basis starting with month eight after the contract begins and ending in month 12 after the contract begins. Monthly progress reports will be due to the designated project officer at NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison. Sole source justification This contract requires a consultant/contractor who has significant knowledge about current research in: consumer health informatics, mass communication, health communication, health communication, and health campaign research fields. In addition, it is highly desirable for the contractor to have experience and skills in working with staff at NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison and NLM’s consumer health informatics working group. This combination of skills is important for the contract to be completed within a limited time frame and to enhance the collaboration and communication that will be needed between the contractor and NLM’s Office of Communications and Public Liaison and NLM’s consumer health informatics working group. It would take months alone to establish the type of communication and working relationship to ensure this project is successful if the contractor does not meet the above skills. Since the project is only 12 months, it is vital that the requisite skills and background outlined above be in place as a requirement for the award of the contract. The contractor is unique in the U.S. There is no other health communication research center with scholars whose work encompasses all the academic areas needed to successfully complete this project. These areas include: journalism, public communication, social marketing, health communication, health literacy, science communication, health campaign, and consumer health informatics research. While there are health communication research centers in the U.S., there is none where the staff encompasses all these research skills within the same core unit. The Health Communication Research Center at the Missouri School of Journalism has been widely recognized for its research contributions and is a Health Communication Center grantee of the National Cancer Institute, and a grantee of the Missouri Health Foundation’s pioneering efforts in health literacy research.
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