Health Information Literacy

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Health Information Literacy

• Miami Dade College, Medical Center Library

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Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this tutorial, participants will be
  able to
• Describe the principles of Health Information
  Literacy.
• Identify quality health education materials
  written at varying literacy levels, in various
  formats and in other languages.
• Use plain language to share health information.
  
• Select trusted health education web sites.
• Instruct consumers/patients to evaluate health
  education materials for authority, bias, and
  currency.
• Explain information and instructions clearly.

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What is Literacy?

• Its not just the ability to read and write!
• Literacy is the ability to use information to
• Function in society
• Achieve ones goals
• Develop ones knowledge and potential.

Source National Assessment of Adult Literacy
http//nces.ed.gov/NAAl/fr_definition.asp
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A Health Information Literate Person Can

• Recognize a health information need
• Identify likely information sources
• Search the information sources to retrieve
  relevant information

• Evaluate the quality of the information
• Use the information to make good health decisions

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Challenge 1 English Literacy Levels

• Most health materials are written at the 10th
  grade level or above
• In the U.S., approx. 48 of adults read at or
  below the 8th grade reading level
• In Florida, 51 of adults read at or below 8th
  grade reading level
• In Dade County, 64 of adults read at or below
  8th grade reading level
• In the City of Miami, 86 of adults read at or
  below 8th grade reading level

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Health Literacy Demographics

• Men had lower health literacy than women.
• Adults age 65 and older had the lowest health
  literacy of any age group.
• Hispanics had the lowest health literacy of any
  racial/ethnic group.
• Health literacy rates improved with each higher
  level of educational attainment.
• Adults living below poverty had lower health
  literacy than others.

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Challenge 2 Unreliable Sources

• 86 searched independently rather than seek
  advice about which web sites to use
• 72 expressed trust in most or all information
  found online
• 69 said they had not seen any wrong or
  misleading health information on the web
• 68 said online information impacted their health
  choices

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Where do most adults with an at or below 5th
grade reading level get their health information?

• Books and/or brochures
• Health care professionals
• Radio and/or television
• Family and/or friends
• Magazines and/or newspapers

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Where do most adults with a college reading level
get their health information?

• Books and/or brochures
• Health care professionals
• Radio and/or television
• Family and/or friends
• Magazines and/or newspapers

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What did all literacy levels report as the
written source most used for health information?

• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Books and/or brochures
• Internet

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Challenge 3 Evaluation Skills

• None of the participants in a research study
  checked about us sections, disclaimers or
  disclosure statements.
• Participants usually chose one of the first
  results displayed by the search engine.
• Few participants remembered from which websites
  they retrieved information.

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How Health Care Professionals Can Address These
Challenges

• Identify quality health education materials
  written at varying literacy levels, in various
  formats and in other languages.
• Limit use of medical jargon.
• Direct consumers/patients to trusted health
  education web sites.
• Instruct consumers/patients to evaluate health
  education materials for authority, bias, and
  currency.
• Explain information and instructions clearly.

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Easy-To-Read English/Spanish Patient Education
Materials

• United States Food Drug Administration
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
• National Digestive Disease Information
  Clearinghouse

• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
• National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information
  Clearinghouse

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Audiovisual FormatsPatient Education Materials

• Pictograms
• United States Pharmacopeial Convention
• Symbols for Use in Health Care
• Picture Stories
• Center for Adult English Language Acquisition
• National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc.
• Interactive Tutorials
• MedlinePlus
• Videos
• Mayo Clinic
• Available in Spanish

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Health Materials In Multiple Languages

• Centers for Disease Control Prevention
• MedlinePlus
• Healthy Roads Media
• Health Information Translations

• Ethnomed
• Refugee Health Information Network

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Trusted Health Web Sites

• cancer.gov
• Centers for Disease Control Prevention
• familydoctor.org
• healthfinder
• HIV InSite
• Kidshealth
• Mayo Clinic

• MEDEM
• MEDLINEplus
• NOAH
• Available in Spanish and/or other languages

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Limit Medical/Legal Jargon

Additional examples are available at
http//www.pfizerhealthliteracy.com/media/words-t
o-watch.html
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Clarify Expiration Dates

• Dates are written in many different ways
• September 6, 2008
• Sept. 2008
• 09-06-08
• 2008/09
• 09/2008
• 09-2008

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Expiration Dates
Should you keep or discard the above medications?
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Evaluating Web Sites

• Use the ABCs
• Author
• Bias
• Currency

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Evaluating Web Sites Author

• Is there an About Us section? What does it say
  about the author of the web site?
• Is there a way to contact the author(s)?
• What does the web address say about the site?
• .gov means a government agency
• .org means a nonprofit group
• .edu means an educational institution
• .com means a commercial enterprise
• tilde could represent a personal page

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Evaluate this Sites Author
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Evaluating Web Sites Bias

• Are there advertisements on the site?
• Are there endorsements on the site?
• Are they hidden or visible?
• Do these represent a conflict of interest?

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Evaluate this Site for Bias
www.bedfordresearch.org
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Evaluating Web Sites Currency

• When was the site created?
• When was the site last updated?
• How frequently is it updated?
• Are there dead links on the site?
• How important is currency for your topic?

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Evaluate this Site for Currency
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Tips for Explaining Information and Instructions
Clearly

• Repeat
• Provide Examples
• Be Specific
• Back up with written/visual instructions
• Ask about learning preference

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Video Series

• American Medical Associations Video on
• Low Health Literacy You Cant Tell by Looking
• http//www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8035.html
  
• ABC World News Series on Illiteracy in America
• http//abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id4342814
  

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Please complete a brief survey regarding your
perceptions of this tutorial. Your responses are
anonymous. Thank you!