Case Study: HITnet

Case Study: Empowering Health Education

Health Interactive Technologies Network (HITnet)

Challenge:

Indigenous communities in remote areas often have lower literacy and numeracy rates, posing a challenge for traditional health education materials. This can lead to a lack of awareness and understanding of critical health issues like diabetes and heart disease.

Solution:

Steven Pelham played a key role in developing and deploying touch screen kiosks specifically designed for Indigenous audiences as part of the HITnet project at the University of Queensland. These user-friendly kiosks offered interactive health education modules in local languages, catering to those with lower literacy and numeracy skills.

Impact:

The project initially launched with three touchscreens in the Cape York Peninsula. Under Steven’s leadership, the network expanded to almost 100 kiosks deployed across Australia, primarily located within health centers and Aboriginal Medical Services. This facilitated wider access to culturally appropriate health information, leading to a significant increase in health awareness and informed decision-making within Indigenous communities.