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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Strategies to improve consumer health information services.

Consumer health information is important in two respects. It helps individuals improve their own health and creates pressure on the healthcare system to produce higher quality care. Initiatives to strengthen consumer health information services are underway in many public and private-sector organizations nationwide. This paper describes some trends in the field and opportunities to spur further progress nationally and at the community level over the next few years.

Consumer Advocacy↗
PubMed1984

Issues in consumer mental health information.

Consumer health information as applied to mental health includes areas such as the diagnosis, management, and treatment of mental illness, as well as self-help, emotional wellness, and the relationship between life events, stress, and disease. This paper presents issues specific to the provision of mental health information to the layperson, e.g., confidentiality, literacy, competence, the social stigma of mental illness, the state of the art in psychiatry, popular psychology, and treatment fads. The development of a community education pamphlet illustrates how one organization addressed these issues.

Community Participation↗
PubMed2004

Web content accessibility of consumer health information web sites for people with disabilities: a cross sectional evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The World Wide Web (WWW) has become an increasingly essential resource for health information consumers. The ability to obtain accurate medical information online quickly, conveniently and privately provides health consumers with the opportunity to make informed decisions and participate actively in their personal care. Little is known, however, about whether the content of this online health information is equally accessible to people with disabilities who must rely on special devices or technologies to process online information due to their visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive limitations. OBJECTIVE: To construct a framework for an automated Web accessibility evaluation; to evaluate the state of accessibility of consumer health information Web sites; and to investigate the possible relationships between accessibility and other features of the Web sites, including function, popularity and importance. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study of the state of accessibility of health information Web sites to people with disabilities. We selected 108 consumer health information Web sites from the directory service of a Web search engine. A measurement framework was constructed to automatically measure the level of Web Accessibility Barriers (WAB) of Web sites following Web accessibility specifications. We investigated whether there was a difference between WAB scores across various functional categories of the Web sites, and also evaluated the correlation between the WAB and Alexa traffic rank and Google Page Rank of the Web sites. RESULTS: We found that none of the Web sites we looked at are completely accessible to people with disabilities, i.e., there were no sites that had no violation of Web accessibility rules. However, governmental and educational health information Web sites do exhibit better Web accessibility than the other categories of Web sites (P < 0.001). We also found that the correlation between the WAB score and the popularity of a Web site is statistically significant (r = 0.28, P < 0.05), although there is no correlation between the WAB score and the importance of the Web sites (r = 0.15, P = 0.111). CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of health information Web sites shows that no Web site scrupulously abides by Web accessibility specifications, even for entities mandated under relevant laws and regulations. Government and education Web sites show better performance than Web sites among other categories. Accessibility of a Web site may have a positive impact on its popularity in general. However, the Web accessibility of a Web site may not have a significant relationship with its importance on the Web.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1994

The role of the medical school-based consumer health information service.

Historically, medical information has been provided to patients at the physician's discretion. Although this method never has been wholly satisfactory, the trend toward bureaucratic organization of medical care, characterized by impersonal patient encounters and prompted by increased emphasis on cost controls, has restricted patient information even further. Yet, at the same time, the upsurge in consumer power has created patient demand for more health information. Consumers feel they have a right to expect help in obtaining information so they can make informed decisions with respect to their medical care. This paper focuses on the medical school-based consumer health service in this context. In particular, it calls attention to the medical school library as the foundation for expanded health information resources, pointing to the tools of information retrieval, as well as the substantive information contained in the medical, nursing, and allied health literature. In this setting, the consumer health librarian is called upon to act as a mediator in providing quality-filtered information to the patron, while at the same time remaining within the confines of professional expertise as a librarian. Important sources of health information are highlighted, particularly online databases, drug indexes, therapeutic texts, and physician specialist directories.

Community Participation↗
PubMed1994

Providing consumer health information through institutional collaboration.

In the past several years, The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library of the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center (HSC) has noted a growing demand for consumer health information. However, because the primary role of the library is to provide information services to health professionals at the HSC, questions have been raised as to the amount of time, energy, and money that should be expended to provide health care information to consumers. The library staff, because it can provide special expertise regarding the availability and utilization of consumer health materials, has felt the responsibility to participate in HSC initiatives that reach a broad audience. Library efforts in that regard include assisting with inventory and management of patient education materials, participating in a community health promotion task force, collaborating with hospital departments in planning a consumer health information center, establishing a consumer health information reference section in the library, and obtaining a grant to offer a networked health information system to local public and community college libraries. Consumers of health information benefit from the enhanced services that result from combining the expertise of health professionals and patient educators with the information management skills of library staff.

Consumer Advocacy↗
PubMed1998

Disseminating information about healthcare effectiveness: a survey of consumer health information services.

BACKGROUND: In 1997 a research based information leaflet designed for men considering being screened for prostate cancer was distributed to general practitioners (GPs) and consumer health information services. OBJECTIVES: To investigate consumer health information service staff opinions of the leaflet and the use they made of it. To find out whether such staff would find similar leaflets on other topics useful. DESIGN: A postal questionnaire survey sent to United Kingdom consumer health information services. RESULTS: Consumer health information service staff were enthusiastic about the content and presentation of the leaflet and gave it to many enquirers, including some who had not been given information by their GPs. Respondents were keen to be supplied with similar leaflets about different topics. Some respondents were reluctant to give the leaflet to people enquiring about screening for prostate cancer, for example, because they thought that the leaflet would cause anxiety, or because prostate cancer screening was not freely available locally. CONCLUSION: Consumer health information services can complement information provided by health professionals and make good use of research based information for consumers. However, they may withhold information from some people who might benefit from it and are not well placed to advise people about healthcare options. Strategic thinking is needed to encourage a more integrated approach to giving information and support for patients in making decisions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Consumer health information demand and delivery: implications for libraries.

Consumers are increasingly interested in information that will help them manage their own health and that of their families. Managed care and other health providers see consumer health information as one tool to help improve patient satisfaction and reduce costs. There is a huge and varied supply of such information, provided through myriad sources. This article summarizes findings from a preliminary assessment of consumer health information demand and delivery supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It highlights patterns of consumer interest and supply sources, identifies problems that confront those looking for information, and suggests a role for libraries as providers and interpreters of health information. The last publicly released general study on consumer health information was commissioned by General Mills in 1979. In the sixteen years since then, the scope of consumer health information has become huge and diverse; with increased responsibility for health, consumers have developed both broad interests and very specific needs. The Department of Health and Human Services commissioned a preliminary assessment of consumer health information demand and delivery to lay the foundation for a more comprehensive understanding of the issues. This article highlights some of the key findings that suggest a role for libraries as consumer health information providers and interpreters.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Consumer health information: libraries as partners.

The need for consumer health information delivery is becoming more evident to librarians. The results of a user survey at a large medical center library and a metropolitan public library confirm that the general public is making demands for health information at both types of libraries. Issues facing librarians are discussed; roles are suggested for public libraries, for academic health sciences libraries, and for hospital libraries. The importance of library involvement in the delivery of consumer health information is emphasized. Librarians are urged to define a role for themselves and to work hard at identifying the library profession to all others involved in the delivery of consumer health information.

Forecasting↗
PubMed2004

Relationships among different subjective measurements of consumer health information retrieval performance.

BACKGROUND: Millions of consumers perform health information retrieval (HIR) online. To better understand the consumers' perspective on HIR performance, we conducted an observation and interview study of 97 health information consumers. METHODS: Consumers were asked to perform HIR tasks and we recorded their view regarding performance using several differ-ent subjective measurements: finding the desired information, usefulness of the information found, satisfaction with the information, and intention to continue searching. Statistical analysis was applied to verify if the multiple subjective measurements were redundant. RESULT: The measurements ranged from slight agreement to no agreement among them. A number of reasons were identified for this lack of agreement. CONCLUSION: Although related, the four subjective measurements of HIR performance are distinct from each other and carried different useful information

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed2001

Consumer health information. What the research is telling us.

BACKGROUND: Consumer health information is a necessary component of patient care and consumer participation. OBJECTIVE: To outline the findings of the 'Assessing the Quality of Consumer Health Information Project' and discuss strategies for improving consumer information. DISCUSSION: The pamphlets identified in this study were not developed with consumer input with consequent deficits apparent. Providers and consumers appeared to use the information for very different purposes but both groups were critical of the ambiguous terminology and lack of quantified data. The provision of relevant information is a fundamental prerequisite of consumer participation in decision making in health care. Such information needs to be available, accurate, and understandable.

Australia↗
PubMed1986

The consumer health information library in the hospital setting.

Consumer health information has become an accepted and fast-growing facet of the consumer movement. The questions now center on the feasibility of providing such information and the best way of offering this service in the hospital setting. This paper examines one hospital-based lay health library and discusses staffing, services, administration, physical facilities, accessibility, and librarian liability.

Consumer Advocacy↗
PubMed2005

A critical analysis of the literature on the Internet and consumer health information.

A critical review of the published literature investigating the Internet and consumer health information was undertaken in order to inform further research and policy. A qualitative, narrative method was used, consisting of a three-stage process of identification and collation, thematic coding, and critical analysis. This analysis identified five main themes in the research in this area: (1) the quality of online health information for consumers; (2) consumer use of the Internet for health information; (3) the effect of e-health on the practitioner-patient relationship; (4) virtual communities and online social support and (5) the electronic delivery of information-based interventions. Analysis of these themes revealed more about the concerns of health professionals than about the effect of the Internet on users. Much of the existing work has concentrated on quantifying characteristics of the Internet: for example, measuring the quality of online information, or describing the numbers of users in different health-care settings. There is a lack of qualitative research that explores how citizens are actually using the Internet for health care.

Health Education↗
PubMed2002

Facilitating access to consumer health information: a collaborative approach employing applied research.

Responsibility for the provision of consumer health information typically lies within the public library domain or the health sciences library arena. In many communities, both types of libraries provide support for consumer health information services, often with varying levels of expertise. Public library employees may or may not be trained in the use of health and biomedical information resources. Conversely, health sciences library staff may or may not be familiar with information needs of the lay public within their community. To offset these potential differences, a model was developed to assess the health information needs of community members and to provide training for public library staff regarding use of relevant electronic consumer health information resources.

Access to Information↗
PubMed2000

Consumer health information websites in Taiwan.

Developers of consumer health information (CHI) websites and pages in Taiwan have included: 1) individuals; 2) general hospitals; 3) disease-oriented associations; 4) government health administrative agencies; and 5) commercial corporations. General hospitals have developed the largest number of sites, but the quality of these sites differs widely. The unprecedented impact of health-oriented websites on medical care and the health of the public in general necessitates the establishment of credible instruments for the evaluation and rating of the quality of such websites and pages. In this paper, we describe the current status of CHI websites and pages in Taiwan. Suggestions for improving the content of CHI websites and pages are also proposed.

Health↗
PubMed2005

Consumer health information on the Internet about carpal tunnel syndrome: indicators of accuracy.

PURPOSE: To identify indicators of accuracy for consumer health information on the Internet. METHODS: Several popular search engines were used to find websites on carpal tunnel syndrome. The accuracy and completeness of these sites were determined by orthopedic surgeons. It also was noted whether proposed indicators of accuracy were present. The correlation between proposed indicators of accuracy and the actual accuracy of the sites was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 116 websites and 29 candidate indicators were examined. A high Google toolbar rating of the main page of a site, many inlinks to the main page of a site, and an unbiased presentation of information on carpal tunnel syndrome were considered genuine indicators of accuracy. Many proposed indicators taken from published guidelines did not indicate accuracy (e.g., the author or sponsor having medical credentials). CONCLUSION: There are genuine indicators of the accuracy of health information on the Internet. Determining these indicators, and informing providers and consumers of health information about them, would be useful for public health care. Published guidelines have proposed many indicators that are obvious to unaided observation by the consumer. However, indicators that make use of the invisible link structure of the Internet are more reliable guides to accurate information on carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

Consumer health information services in the hospital setting.

Before planning for provision of Consumer Health Information Services, the librarian and administration must anticipate the problems encountered in sharing funds, personnel, space, and materials with an existing medical or patient education library. Establishing new space within or outside the hospital, or participating in community projects which meet consumer health information needs, are important considerations for planners. This article sets forth the place of some CHI services in the hospital setting, and how they relate to other library services. Differences between hospital library support for Patient Education and for Consumer Health Information services are discussed.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed1992

Health Index Plus: a CD-ROM product for consumer health information.

Health Index Plus, a consumer health information CD-ROM database, was field-tested by staff and patrons at a public library in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Ease-of-use, database content and quality, and appropriateness for audience were evaluated. Overall, patrons found the database simple to use. The contents focus on topics of popular interest and provide access to scientific material that is normally not available or comprehended by many public library users. Although some indexing problems and other shortcomings were noted, the database is recommended for public and other libraries providing consumer health information.

CD-ROM↗