eScreening: Developing an Electronic Screening Tool for Rural Primary Care

The Rural Health Care Research Center at the University of Virginia, School of Nursing, conducted a pilot study to develop a computer-based electronic screening tool that screens for alcohol abuse and depression among rural patients in a primary care setting. The eScreening tool provides a graphical user interface with audio outputs for users who may be functionally or computer illiterate. The interface is a macromedia flash movie shown on a Web site. A database automatically and anonymously records the screening data. Two phases of user-testing for a prototype of the eScreening tool were conducted in June and July 2005. Future work on the eScreening tool entails expanding administrative controls, including screenings for other disorders, and providing a Spanish version