Problem-Solving Through Electronic Bulletin Boards

Summary Changes in the organization and financing of health care delivery have resulted in increasing the responsibilities of family members who care for people with cancer and other chronic diseases. These family caregivers need to develop skills in problem-solving and in preventing physical, emotional, and social crises at home. For problem-solving education to affect caregiving behavior, family caregivers need ongoing reinforcement of what they have learned about problem-solving. Such support can come from the creative use of technology, such as computer or voice bulletin boards, which offer a wide array of services that are directly available at home for health education or counseling purposes. This article describes two computer-driven sources of information and support: the CHESS Program and the Telepracticc and COPELINE systems, which are specifically designed to reinforce problem-solving learning among family caregivers of people with cancer.