An evidence-based model of adaptive blended learning for health education serving families with a parent or child who has a medical problem

Abstract

We describe a blended learning model that has been built into an educational platform to provide evidence-based health education and psychological support for families in which one or more members have a medical problem. The platform design evolved from studies of the leading causes of death in the USA, including chronic and acute medical issues as well as injuries typified by pathophysiological and psychological facets difficult for most adults and children to understand. We studied blended learning platforms suitable for providing all members of a family with evidence-based health education. During this process we found that few current web-based models for patient and family education are grounded in both theories of cognition and learning and also theories of health behavioural change. In this paper, we describe our current evidence-based health education platform for families - SIGNAL-PATCH. This platform allows selection of preferred grounded theories but also assesses both parents' and children's prior knowledge and accuracy of such knowledge. The platform we developed also assesses parents' and children's readiness to engage in learning, readiness to shift behaviours in ways that will improve health, and monitors for possible psychological trauma in each family member.