Medical Information on the Web

Medical Resources on the Web
Based on : Go To The Web and Say Ahh! (Presented by Gail Kouame)

What are some resources that can help people improve their health literacy?

Ask Me 3 (http://www.npsf.org/askme3/) lists three questions to ask your health care provider and explains what to do if you don’t understand an explanation or instructions.

Questions are the Answer (http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/) has more questions to ask your provider as well as a question builder that will help you with questions to ask in particular circumstances (just received a diagnosis, got a new prescription, preparing for surgery, finding a provider, etc.). It has links to medical resources and a brief glossary of common medical terms. The font size is adjustable.

The National Institute on Aging (http://www.nia.nih.gov/) has a number of free publications on topics as diverse as choosing a doctor, sexuality, end of life decisions, and vaccinations. There are links to research, clinical trials, and news.


What are some quality health resources on the Internet?

Health and Wellness Resource Center (Database – Spokane Public Library also subscribes to this)

MedlinePlus.gov (http://www.medlineplus.gov)

NIHSeniorHealth (http://www.nihseniorhealth.gov/)

Ethnomed (multi-lingual) (http://ethnomed.org/) – based in Seattle, Ethnomed focuses on immigrant populations in that area. Includes topical information, such as winter information on cold weather, floods, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Healthy Roads Media (multi-lingual) (www.healthyroadsmedia.org) – a variety of topics including abuse, dental health, food/nutrition, and tuberculosis

RHIN (Refugee Health Information Network) (multi-lingual) (www.rhin.org) includes information on a variety of topics in several languages, including Ukrainian.

CAPHIS (http://caphis.mlanet.org/) Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of the Medical Library Association. Includes links to top 100 medical sites (Jan. 2010) and a listing of consumer health libraries.

Leapfrog (http://www.leapfroggroup.org/cp) lets people compare hospitals on patient safety overall and by specific treatments. Information is based on voluntary submissions to Leapfrog surveys. I checked Spokane area hospitals, and Deaconess, Holy Family, Sacred Heart, and Valley Medical Center had “Declined To Respond” for all categories.

Washington State Department of Health (http://www.doh.wa.gov/) includes information on food handler’s permit, notifiable diseases, licensing.

Additional information:
Health Literacy

What is health literacy?
Here are some definitions:

The degree to which individuals have the capacity to:
Obtain
Process
Understand
Basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
– Healthy People 2010

The ability of individuals to
Read
Understand
And act upon health-related information
– New York City Mayor’s Office

Health literacy also refers to the capacity of professionals and institutions to
Communicate effectively so that community members can:
Make informed decisions and
Take appropriate actions
To protect and promote their health
– New York City Mayor’s Office

Why is health literacy important?

We hear a lot about the correlation between a person’s health and their level of education, or their race, or their income. But according to JAMA (Feb 10, 1999), poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than any of these, or of a person’s age or employment status.
Health literacy isn’t just about reading. It also affects people’s ability to:
Navigate the healthcare system
Share personal information
Engage in self-care and chronic disease management
Understand mathematical concepts like probability and risk.
Medicine has its own language, and is typically written at the 12th-15th grade reading level.

When they come up to the desk –
They may need to tell their story. They are still processing what they’ve been told. Part of that might be telling you all about it from the moment “Aunt Margaret noticed this funny looking spot on my cheek at Thanksgiving and I was really worried and the doctor’s office was closed and I didn’t want to go to the emergency clinic because I didn’t really think it was an emergency and then we had all that snow so by the time I was able to get in I was worried sick that it was melanoma, which it wasn’t, thank God, it was just a really weird looking pimple, and I called my mom to tell and she didn’t pick up and she didn’t pick up, so finally I went over there and she was just lying there on the floor! She’d had a stroke! Where are your stroke books?”
Your customer really does need to tell you all of that (maybe more than once), because they are trying to make sense of it themselves. And at this point in time, they are distracted, stressed, and overwhelmed. They may feel fear, anxiety, helplessness, anger, frustration, even joy (there’s good medical news, too).
Researching helps people feel in control. It’s not unusual for someone to say they want to find out everything about whatever condition it is they’re researching.

How can you help?
Give them time and attention, even when the story is long.
Make appropriate eye contact.
Be attentive.
Provide privacy. You may want to move to another part of the library, or even just come around the desk so that you are standing closer.
Be aware of your own tone of voice and body language.
Practice compassionate neutrality.
NO: Oh, my God! That’s terrible.
NO: Isn’t that what Patrick Swayze died of?
NO: That doesn’t sound very serious.
NO: It could be worse.
YES: I’m sorry to hear that. Let’s see what we can find that will help you today.
YES: Hmm (neutral sound) Can you tell me more about what you’re hoping to find today relating to that?

Use the reference interview.
How can I help you while you’re here?
What do you need from the library today?
What do you most want to find out today?

Other questions to ask:
Who is the information for? (Finding out for self, parent, child, spouse)
What is the exact diagnosis? (Do you need to call your doctor’s office?)
How do you spell it? (Do you need to call your doctor’s office?)
Where have you looked already?
Why do you need this information? (Because I’m the patient, a caregiver, a relative, a concerned friend, writing a research paper for class)
How much information would you like?Has the procedure already been done?
Is this what you’re looking for?