Library and Information Science Commons^™

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.

Public Libraries Supporting Health And Wellness: A Literature Review, Heather Elia

School of Information Student Research Journal

The purpose of this literature review is to examine the ways in which public libraries are supporting the health and wellness needs of their communities. Although public libraries are not commonly thought of in association with healthcare, research shows that many libraries are partnering with other community organizations and healthcare professionals to provide programs and services intended to address the health and wellness needs of their patrons. Using scholarly journals, as well as trade and news publications, the author investigated numerous methods of health-themed service provision, including: consumer health information, embedded professionals, visiting health services, mental health support, wellness-based programming, …

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 …

A Pilot Partnership To Provide Health Information To Cancer Patients And Families, Christian I.J. Minter, Roxanne Cox, Mary Winter, Benjamin Simon, Rebecca Jackson

Posters and Presentations: Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library

Objectives: McGoogan Library of Medicine at University of Nebraska Medical Center launched a pilot partnership with the new Resource and Wellness Center at Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, NE. The goals of this pilot were to provide patients and families with easy access to quality health information, assess the health information needs of cancer patients and their families, and explore the demand for library services in the resource center.

Methods: From June 2017 through March 2018, library faculty and staff worked daily shifts at the Resource and Wellness Center and answered consumer health questions. Statistics were compiled …

Extent Of Access To Health Information And Sources For Chronic Disease Patients In Tertiary Health Institutions In South East Nigeria: Implications For Libraries Role, Ebele N. Anyaoku, Obiora C. Nwosu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Access to relevant health information is essential for helping people to take good decisions to enhance their health and well-being. The research examined the importance, level and sources of access to health information for patients with chronic diseases in two Federal Government Teaching Hospitals in South East Nigeria. The research is a cross-sectional survey that used questionnaire to collect data. Sample was 784 patients in two Federal Government Teaching Hospitals in South East Nigeria. Research questions focused on the importance of health information, extent of patients’ access to disease, coping and treatment information. Findings show that while large majority indicated …

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.

The Public Library As Health Information Resource?, Mary Grace Flaherty

School of Information Studies - Dissertations

Public libraries have adapted a variety of services into their institutional missions, including: promoting early literacy, publicly available Internet access, children's summer reading programs, and the dissemination of tax forms. Libraries are disproportionately rural institutions, often serving people with limited health care access. Thus, by public demand they have evolved to become important resources for rural health consumers to acquire information. Some public libraries have approached this role by subscribing to health databases, or by providing a link on their homepage to a health resource such as MedlinePlus, but most have undertaken little organizational change to meet growing patron demand. …

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 …

All Health Is Local: Go Local Massachusetts Helps Consumers Locate Health Care Services Close To Home, Sally A. Gore

Sally A. Gore

Go Local Massachusetts (GLM) is a Web-based resource designed to help the residents of Massachusetts identify health services, health care providers, and health-related programs available in their local area. Go Local is an extension of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's Web site for consumer health information. The goals of GLM are to (1) identify local health care service resources, (2) link the resources to subjects within the MedlinePlus database, and (3) increase collaboration between entities in Massachusetts with health information technology, making these services available to all residents of the state. This article describes the process of developing GLM, …

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.

Collaborating With Community Partners To Provide Health Information In Arabic, Deborah H. Charbonneau, Annette M. Healy

Library Scholarly Publications

Locating quality consumer health information in languages other than English can be challenging in a complex electronic information environment. Locating consumer health information in Arabic is especially difficult. At present, electronic health information in Arabic is limited in scope, not easily accessible, and poorly organized. An academic medical library collaborated with community partners to identify and bring together multiple sources of Arabic language health information in one convenient location. As a result, over 80 electronic Arabic language health materials are organized and available via the World Wide Web for health information seekers to access, view, and print. This paper will …

Genetics Home Reference: Locating Easy-To-Understand Genetics Information, Deborah H. Charbonneau, Annette M. Healy

Library Scholarly Publications

This article describes the Genetics Home Reference, the National Library of Medicine's searchable Web resource that provides reliable information about genetic conditions, genes, and chromosomes and their relationship to the health of individuals, families, or populations. This resource contains descriptions of hundreds of genes and genetic conditions, with new content being added regularly. Features of the resource will be described as well as the browse and search methods used to access the information.