Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Consumer Health Information Services In Philippine Libraries: Navigating Obstacles And Capitalizing On Opportunities, Joenabie Encanto Arevalo

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

The limited role of medical libraries in providing consumer health information services in the Philippines presents a challenge. To address such a challenge, this paper suggests that information professionals, healthcare providers, and the government must collaborate to meet the information needs of healthcare consumers. Information professionals can be crucial in promoting health literacy by providing access to reliable and easy-to-understand health information. They must be equipped with the necessary skills to assess the readability of resources and identify signs of low literacy among library patrons. Librarians should develop more relevant and effective health information services tailored to the specific needs …

Quality Evaluation Of Consumer Health Information Websites Found On Google Using Discern, Craap, And Honcode, Ivan A. Portillo, Catherine V. Johnson, Scott Y. Johnson

Library Articles and Research

Online health misinformation is a growing problem, and health information professionals and consumers would benefit from an evaluation of health websites for reliability and trustworthiness. Terms from the Google COVID-19 Search Trends dataset were searched on Google to determine the most frequently appearing consumer health information websites. The quality of the resulting top five websites was evaluated. The top five websites that appeared most frequently were WebMD, Mayo Clinic, Healthline, MedlinePlus, and Medical News Today, respectively. All websites, except Medline Plus, received HONcode certification. Based on DISCERN and CRAAP scores, MedlinePlus was found to be the most reliable health website.

2020 County Health Rankings Tennessee Data And Updated Substance Abuse 2005-2019, Kelsey L. Grabeel, Jenny Moore

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Health Management: Occupational Therapy’S Key Role In Educating Clients About Reliable Online Health Information, Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth, Melissa L. Johnson, Meredith Carpenter, Tincey Thomas, Ashley Sinnappan

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Only 12% of Americans possess proficient health literacy skills. Among those with the lowest health literacy are individuals with chronic health conditions. Occupational therapists are well prepared to assist these clients with health literacy, given our roles in teaching new health management skills and health promotion.

Methods: An educational course was designed and taught to over 100 individuals and caregivers with chronic health conditions to assist in finding and determining trustworthy health information online. An author designed pre postsurvey was used to evaluate effectiveness.

Results: There was a significant pre-post change in four categories: finding quality …

Improving The Quality Of Consumer Health Information On Wikipedia: Case Series., Shira Schecter Weiner, Jill S. Horbacewicz, Lane Rasberry, Yocheved Bensinger-Brody

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

BACKGROUND: Wikipedia is one of the most consulted health resources in the world. Since the public is using health information from Wikipedia to make health care decisions, improving the quality of that health information is in the public interest. The open editable content design of Wikipedia and quality control processes in place provide an opportunity to add high-value, evidence-based information and take an active role in improving the health care information infrastructure.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this project was to enhance Wikipedia health pages using high-quality, current research findings and track the persistence of those edits and number of page …

Your Teaching Strategy Matters: How Engagement Impacts Application In Health Information Literacy Instruction, Heather A. Johnson, Laura C. Barrett

Dartmouth Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to compare two pedagogical methods, active learning and passive instruction, to determine which is more useful in helping students to achieve the learning outcomes in a one-hour research skills instructional session.

How Older Adults Would Like Falls Prevention Information Delivered: Fresh Insights From A World Cafe Forum, Linda Khong, Caroline Bulsara, Keith D. Hill, Anne-Marie Hill

IHR Papers and Journal Articles

Translation of falls prevention evidence into practice is problematic. Understanding older adults’ views about falls prevention information could enhance delivery of falls prevention, resulting in better engagement and uptake of recommended activities. The aim of this study was to examine the views and preferences of community-dwelling older adults about seeking and receiving falls prevention information. A community forum using a modified World Café approach was conducted. Participants discussed five topic areas in small groups, under the guidance of table facilitators. Perspectives were captured on paper. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify factors that influence participants’ engagement and uptake of information. …

Scoliosis Related Information On The Internet In China: Can Patients Benefit From This Information?, Hongda Bao, Feng Zhu, Fei Wang, Zhen Liu, Mike H. Bao, Shouyu He, Zezhang Zhu, Yong Qiu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: There has been an increasing popularity of searching health related information online in recent years. Despite that considerable amount of scoliosis patients have shown interest in obtaining scoliosis information through Internet, previous studies have demonstrated poor quality of online information. However, this conclusion may vary depending on region and culture. Since China has a restricted Internet access outside of its borders, the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of scoliosis information available online using recognized scoring systems and to analyze the Internet as a source of health information in China.

Methods: A survey-based questionnaire was distributed …

Launching A Virtual Decision Lab: Development And Field-Testing Of A Web-Based Patient Decision Support Research Platform, Aubri S. Hoffman, Hilary A. Llewellyn-Thomas, Anna N. A. Tosteson, Annette M. Oconnor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Over 100 trials show that patient decision aids effectively improve patients’ information comprehension and values-based decision making. However, gaps remain in our understanding of several fundamental and applied questions, particularly related to the design of interactive, personalized decision aids. This paper describes an interdisciplinary development process for, and early field testing of, a web-based patient decision support research platform, or virtual decision lab, to address these questions.

Balancing The Presentation Of Information And Options In Patient Decision Aids: An Updated Review, Purva Abhyankar, Robert J. Volk, Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Paulina Bravo, Angela Buchholz, Elissa Ozanne, Dale C. Vidal, Nananda Col, Peep Stalmeier

Dartmouth Scholarship

Standards for patient decision aids require that information and options be presented in a balanced manner; this requirement is based on the argument that balanced presentation is essential to foster informed decision making. If information is presented in an incomplete/non-neutral manner, it can stimulate cognitive biases that can unduly affect individuals’ knowledge, perceptions of risks and benefits, and, ultimately, preferences. However, there is little clarity about what constitutes balance, and how it can be determined and enhanced. We conducted a literature review to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence related to balancing the presentation of information and options.

Hidden Surveillance On Consumer Health Information Websites, Jacquelyn A. Burkell, Alexandre Fortier

FIMS Publications

Behavioural tracking presents a significant privacy risk to Canadians, particularly when their online behaviours reveal sensitive information that could be used to discriminate against them. This concern is particularly relevant in the context of online health information seeking, since searches can reveal details about health conditions and concerns that the individual may wish to keep private. The privacy threats are exacerbated because behavioural tracking mechanisms are large invisible to users, and many are unaware of the strategies and mechanisms available to track online behaviour. In this project, we seek to document the behavioural tracking practices of consumer health websites, and …

Making Sense Of Dietary Supplements: The Dietary Supplements Labels Database, Annette M. Healy

Library Scholarly Publications

This article describes the Dietary Supplements Labels Database, a new resource from the National Library of Medicine that integrates information from dietary supplement manufacturers, government agencies, and clinical research into an easy-to-use interface. This database contains information on more than 2,000 brands of dietary supplement and more than 800 active ingredients. This resource will greatly assist consumers and health care providers in evaluating the safety, efficacy, and quality of dietary supplements. Features of the resource will be described as well as the browse and search methods used to access the information.