The feasibility of remote-controlled assistance as a search tool for patient education.

Patients often desire more information about their conditions than they receive during a physician office visit. To address the patient's information needs, a touchscreen information kiosk was implemented. Results from the first prototype identified interface, security, and technical issues. Misspelling of search terms was identified as the most observable cause of search failure. An experimental remote control assistance feature was added in the second prototype. The feature allowed a medical librarian to provide real-time remote help during searches by taking control of the patient's computer. Remote assistance improved patient satisfaction, increased ease of use, and raised document retrieval rate (86.7% vs. 56.7%). Both patients and librarians found the application useful. Reasons included its convenience and flexibility, opportunity for direct patient contact, ability to teach through direct demonstration, and complementing the librarian's role as an information gateway. The project demonstrated the feasibility of applying remote control technology to patient education.