consumer health information and the role of the librarian (2005)
TRANSCRIPT
Consumer Health Information and the role of the librarian in the
development of a ‘healthy’ information literate society.
by Nicky Hayward-Wright29th November 2005“Charting the Information Future”Health & OPALS Libraries of NSW Forum
Consumer Health Information
“ …is information on health and medical topics provided in response to requests
from the general public, including patients and their families” 1
Health Information Literacy
“…is the set of abilities needed to recognize a health information need; identify likely
sources and use them to retrieve relevant information; assess the quality of the information and its applicability to a
specific situation; and analyze, understand and use the information to make good
health decisions” 2
A health information literate person can…
Evaluate the quality of the information
Use the information to make informed health decisions
Recognize a health information need
Identify and access likely sources of information
Find and retrieve relevant information
Provision
Collection management Topic
Level
Format
Literacy level
Language, translation
Cultural sensitivity
Context
Provision
Information development Neuro-Patient Resource
Centre, Montreal Neurological Hospital
Multiple Sclerosis Society of New South Wales
Information advocacy Library & Information Service,
Alzheimer’s Australia NSW
http://www.mni.mcgill.ca/neuropatient/resource.html
Access Reasons for going online
medical condition of someone they know a new health problem of their own prescribed a new medication or course of treatment ongoing medical condition unanswered questions after a doctor’s visit changing their diet or exercise habits being a caregiver
8 in 10 Internet users have looked for health information online Topics most searched
particular illness or condition diet, nutrition and vitamins; exercise and fitness; experimental
treatments and drugs
Access
http://www.healthinsite.com.au
http://medlineplus.gov
Website development
Access
Selective reference service
Collection development Alzheimer’s Australia NSW
@ Your Public Library project
Access
Department store franchise
Book prescription service
Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre
Skills Training
Library staff training Information sources Health reference
Health seeker training Health information literacy Computer literacy
Partnerships
…improve and enhance access to services and information for the health
seeker, which would otherwise be difficult to do on one’s own.
“Health [information] literacy means more than being able to read pamphlets and make appointments. By improving people’s access to health information and their capacity to use it effectively, health [information] literacy is critical to empowerment.” 3
References1. CAPHIS/MLA. (1996). The librarian's role in the provision of
consumer health information and patient education. Medical Library Association. Consumer and Patient Health Information Section. Bulletin of the Medical Libraries Association. 1996, 84(2), pp. 238–239. (online). http://caphis.mlanet.org/resources/caphis_statement.html [accessed 17 October 2005]
2. MLA (2003). Health information literacy. Definitions (online) http://www.mlanet.org/resources/healthlit/define.html [accessed 17 October 2005].
3. World Health Organisation. (1998). Health Promotion Glossary, p.10. (online) http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/hp_glossary_en.pdf [accessed 18 November 2005].
Useful Resources
Consumer Health. An online manual by National Network of Libraries of Medicine (South Central Region). http://nnlm.gov/scr/conhlth/manualidx.htm
Consumer Health Information: Selected bibliography of readings. January 2005. Prepared by Susan Murray. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/uni_chi_biblio.jsp
MLANet: Health Information Literacy: Health Literacy Resources http://www.mlanet.org/resources/healthlit/healthlit_resources.html
URLs correct as of 20 November 2005
Presentation by
Nicky Hayward-WrightManagerLibrary & Information ServiceAlzheimer’s Australia NSW