Instructors: Dean Giustini

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InstructorsDean Giustini Greg RowellLIBR538F
- February 22nd, 2005
Medical informatics information literacy
implications for health librarians
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Lecture 7

• What is health informatics?
• Health information literacy? Issues?
• Whats the connection? Is there a connection?
• Librarians roles

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What is medical informatics?

• Various definitions
• in Google, try define medical informatics
• Or go to OHSU Health Informatics (Hersh)
• And UWO MLIS Health informatics course

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What is health literacy?

• Various definitions
• Google search define health literacy
• Health literacy is the ability to understand,
  access and use health related information to make
  good decisions
• Canadian Health Network. Accessed from
  http//www.canadian-health-network.ca

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Issues in health literacy

• Changing relationships between health providers
  and consumers
• Digital divide haves and have nots
• Access is empowerment
• Evaluation of web materials
• Abundance of information commercial interests
• Local, regional and national perspectives
• What can librarians do? Successful stories?

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Find out whats happening nationally

• In Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association
  (CPHA) was founded in 1994 they began the
  National Literacy Health Program (NLHP).
• NLHP helps to raise awareness of literacy issues.
  Several organizations joined CPHA to organize
  conferences on literacy and health.
• Plain language health materials are made
  available to Canadians through CPHA/NLHP.

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Know the rights of health consumers

• The Consumers Association of Canada states that
  health care consumers have the
• Right to be informed
• Right to participate in decisions about health
• Right to be respected
• Right to equal access
• Toronto Public Library. Consumer Health
  Information Service. Accessed from
  http//www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/uni_chi_info.jsp

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Know types of health literacy

• According to the IALS, there are three (3) types
  or categories of health literacy
• Prose literacy (eg. news, magazines, television)
• Document literacy (more complex, with
  maps/tables)
• Quantitative literacy (numeracy, statistics)
• International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).
  Accessed from www.statcan.ca/english/Dli/Data/Ftp
  /ials.htm

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Why is health literacy important?

• Low literacy is linked to poorer health
• High literacy is key to good decision making
• Complicated instructions lead to confusion
• Medication errors are very costly
• Informed consent is easier for health
  professionals
• Informed participation is evidence-based
• Informed consumer health equates with patient
  empowerment
• Efficient health care is impossible without it

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Other issues for librarians to consider

• Canadian population is aging
• Home health care
• eg. family at home longer
• Immigrant communities face special barriers
• Public health is major political issue
• What kinds of roles can librarians take?
• Other?

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Globally? According to the WHO

• The World Health Organization (WHO) states that a
  person must be able to
• Get health information
• Understand health information
• Use information to improve individual health or
  family members, or in the community
• A person does not have to read or write to obtain
  health information .

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Can health librarians make a connection between
health informatics and literacy?
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EBM consumer informatics

• Key partner in EBM for consumers is
• Cochrane Collaboration for Consumers
• supports consumers by providing their
  perspectives to The Cochrane Collaboration.
• The Consumer Network encourages consumers to set
  priorities for health care evaluation
• Encourages patients to think along the lines of
  evidence-based practice

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Other health literacy initiatives

• Mini-med school
• Increasingly popular in North America
• Started at NIH in late 1990s
• McGill Universitys MMS started in 2001
• Hugely successful
• In BC, BCCW has its own MMS