Q. You recently came to our hospital to help us upgrade our Web site and develop a plan for provider-patient e-mail and other online patient services. While you were here, you referred to the consumer content on our hospital's Web site as 'shovelware' and suggested that we should supplement it with 'interactive' resources. What in the world is 'shovelware,' what are interactive resources, and why are they superior?

A. 'Shovelware' is a term online self-helpers sometimes apply to material which was originally written for the printed page and subsequently 'shoveled' up onto a Web site (e.g. the traditional patient education handouts which are currently the only consumer content on your Web site). Online self-helpers prefer more interactive resources, e.g.


1. the ability to exchange e-mail with their existing health professionals.



2. the ability to exchange e-mail with other health professionals who specialize in their concerns.



3. other types of ask-the-expert links that allow them to post a question and receive an personalized response.



4. online support groups made up of others who share their diagnosis. These groups can provide emotional support, practical tips, and in-depth medical information-as well as personalized answers to self-helpers' questions.



5. FAQ lists that list questions asked by others with the focus condition-along with detailed answers to those questions.



6. materials prepared by online self-helpers or online self-help groups devoted to their condition.

Published in The Ferguson Report, Number 4, June 1999

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