CP23 - Innovation Poster: The All of Us Research Program and Bridging the Digital Divide through an Innovative Approach

Poster Type: Innovation

Category: Patient and Community Engagement

Issue or Challenge: The All of Us Research Program (AoURP) is an innovative component of the National Precision Medicine Initiative, NIH aims to enroll one million or more individuals through a digital platform. Many patients do not have or are not fully comfortable with the use of technology such as computers, smart phones and internet, thereby making it difficult for them to utilize technology for communication with health providers or participate in a digital research program like AoURP.

Description of Innovation: Digital and health literacy is an important aspect of the AoURP. Since AoURP is a digitally based program, there was an identified need to provide education and assistance to the health center population. Open Door Family Medical Center has addressed the digital divide by developing a robust community-based program that offers free, bilingual, one-on-one digital literacy classes to patients and community members. During these classes, students learn how to purchase low-cost mobile devices and internet as well as how to navigate online resources, such as email, EHR patient portal, AoURP, and job searching.

Offering one-on-one digital literacy classes by appointment has proven to be very effective, as it allows staff to tailor their teaching to each student’s digital literacy level, learning style, schedule and goals. Open Door has also extended its services to community members by holding digital literacy office hours at public libraries, a local senior center and other partner sites. To structure the teaching of the classes, Open Door has developed a comprehensive checklist, curriculum and online resource guide to assess, improve and address barriers to students’ digital literacy, while tracking their goals and progress over time in the path to become fully independent in our digital world.

Impact or Result: During the two years of HRSA APM, the health centers have provided over 98,000 brochures, posters and talking points. The health centers had over 85,000 human touch interactions. This consists of face to face engagement, information sessions and community events. Over 610,000 communications with patients and the community through email, phone, text, web advertisements, TV and patient portal. Patients provided feedback about digital literacy training. It is described as "extremely helpful," "life-changing", "empowering" and "convenient”.

From April 16, 2019 to January 31, 2020, Open Door (OD) handed out 3806 All of Us Brochures (1033 to patients and 2773 to community members/non-Open Door patients) and had 1602 unique face-to-face encounters with individuals about the Program (701 patients and 901 community members/non-OD patients). From November 25, 2019 (the launch of Open Door’s digital literacy program) to January 31, a total of 81 personalized computer classes were offered to 47 unique patients.

Replicating this Innovation: In an effort to replicate successful approaches for promoting digital literacy, HRSA APM health centers have been regularly exchanging resources, best practices and challenges through a mix of structured and unstructured meetings online.

Open Door’s comprehensive, one-on-one approach for promoting digital literacy could be replicated in other medical centers via standardized train-the-trainer sessions that would allow other medical centers to tailor Open Door’s curriculum and online resources to their unique patient populations.

Author(s):

Mariella While-Dart, RN, BSN, MEd, Health Care Consultant, MITRE Corporation

Denise Sun, MSW, Public Health Consultant, MITRE Corporation

Andres Castillo Quintana, Program Coordinator, All of Us Research Program, Open Door Family Medical Center,

Andrea Ruggiero, MPA, Senior Director of Care Coordination and Wellness, Open Door Family Medical Center