Dr. Kate Lorig is the Principal Investigator on two projects housed at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. One is a Methodology and Design project entitled Two Internet Studies: Reliability of Outcome Data Collected via Internet; Recruiting for Internet Studies from Rural America, the other, an Outcome Evaluation grant, Internet Diabetes Self-Management: A Randomized Trial.

Q: What is unique and/or innovative about your Diabetes Self-Management study?
It attempts to replicate the small group experience on the Internet.

Q: How is your data collection project progressing so far?
The study is up and running and we have about 100 out of 400 people enrolled. Anyone who has a chronic condition and will fill out a questionnaire on-line or by mail can take part by logging on tohealthyliving.stanford.edu/qs. When we receive a complete questionnaire, you receive a $10 Amazon.com certificate.

Q: What prompted you to explore these two areas of research?
Diabetes is a major health problem and the majority of people with diabetes receive little or no diabetes education. We assume that using self-report instruments on-line is the same as in person or mailed but we do not know and that this should at least be investigated.

Q: How would a typical end-user utilize the final product/results of your diabetes self-management research?
If this intervention proves successful, then it can be integrated into the websites of health care systems and community based organizations.

Q: What are the greatest challenges in eHealth and more specifically, your projects?
Getting enough money to do what we really want to do.

Q: In what ways would you like to see eHealth evolve?
I would like to see more evidence-based products. It is fine if these are commercial, but right now what we have is lots of products and a thin or almost non-existent evidence base.

Q: How do you stay informed of advances and innovations in eHealth?
Conferences, friends - in reality - not as well as I would like.

Kate, thanks for taking time to speak with us!

We look forward to hearing from Dr. Dina Borzekowski of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in our next edition.