Build skills
Find and Evaluate Health Information Online
Searching for information on the Internet has been compared to "drinking from a fire hose." How can you satisfy your thirst for knowledge without drowning in too much information? Read and follow the tips and suggestions on these web sites:- Start with a basic checklist. The Consumer Health Web Watch provides one here: http://www.infopeople.org/training/past/2004/consumer/Evaluation_Checklist.pdf
- A more detailed guide is available from the Medical Library Association: http://www.mlanet.org/resources/userguide.html
- When you're ready to tackle clinical research, read this overview from the National Human Genome Research Institute before you start: http://www.genome.gov/11008303
- Finally, be sure to incorporate the advice available from the Harvard School of Public Health's Consumer's Guide to Taking Charge of Health Information: http://www.health-insight.harvard.edu/
Talk With Your Doctor
Did you know that studies have shown that between 40 and 80 percent of all medical information presented at a doctor's visit is forgotten almost immediately?* Having a strategy for talking with your doctor can help you make the most out of the often limited time available during an appointment.
The National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus web site offers a topic page on Talking with Your Doctor, featuring tips, advice and selected, organized links to articles, news, audio-visual materials and more. Information is also available in 10 languages other than English: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/talkingwithyourdoctor.html
*Kessels, Roy. Patients' Memory for Medical Information. JRSM, May 2003; 96(5):219-222.
*Scheitel, Sidna et al. Patient-physician agreements about medical diagnoses and cardiovascular risk factors in the ambulatory general medical examination. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Dec. 1996; 71(12): 1131-1137.
Learn About Health Literacy
Definitions
Consumer Health Information: Information designed to help individuals understand their health and make health-related decisions for themselves and their families. (source: Healthy People 2010 project)
Health Literacy:
- The degree to which people have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. (source: Healthy People 2010 project)
- The ability to read, understand, and act on health information. (source: Pfizer's Clear Health Communication Initiatve.)
Suggested Reading
- Article:
Brody, JE. The importance of knowing what the doctor is talking about. New York Times. Jan. 30, 2007.
- Books:
Doak, Doak, and Root. Teaching Patients with Low Literacy. 1996. (2nd ed.) Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. (Available fulltext online.)
Institute of Medicine (Nielson-Bohman et al, eds.) Health Literacy: a prescription to end confusion. 2004. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
Online Videos
In Plain Language. 13-minute video from Harvard School of Public Health's Dr. Rima Rudd. Requires Real Player.
AMA Health Literacy Videos. This web page links to two health literacy videos from the AMA: "Low Health Literacy: You Can't Tell by Looking." (18 min.), and "Health Literacy: Help Your Patients Understand." (23 min.) Both are available in either Windows Media Player or Real Player format.