Television as a consumer health education medium : a project report

Abstract

The production described in this report was produced through the facilities of the Educational Television Department, St. Clare's Mercy Hospital, St. John's. It is a twenty-minute videotape entitled Physical Disability and You showing the disabled as a special group with special needs, and outlining the support services available to them after their dismissal from a health care institution. -- The program was designed specifically for two groups: (l) those presently hospitalized, or their family members and loved ones; (2) the general public, who might have need of such services now or in the future. -- Evaluation of the program was conducted at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital with disabled patients; and at the District Vocational School, Clarenville, with sixty-seven students representing the general public directly and patients' families indirectly. -- The results of testing showed that the general response to the program's technical quality was positive. Subjects responded on a positive/negative scale with a Yes or No answer. -- The questionnaire on program content required the audience to respond with written comments, as well as give an overall rating on a scale ranging from poor to very good. Using this scale with an assigned numerical value (poor/1; fair/2; good/3; very good/4), the tape received a mean of 3.7 for program content. -- This program can be disseminated to a wide audience through cable television, the hospitals, and local groups who have a specific interest in the welfare of the disabled population.