Health Information Online: How Can We Do It Better? Dr. Jacquelyn Burkell

posted by Allan_Chan @ 1:18 PM

Summary

WC4

Health Information Online: How Can We Do It Better? Dr. Jacquelyn Burkell. Online health information matters: consumers use it to make important and even life-altering decisions. Information that is relevant and easy to understand is, however, difficult to find, and those seeking health information online are faced with complex information that is usually not designed to best answer their questions. The situation is complicated by the fact that our natural strategies for interpreting this type of information include cognitive heuristics that, if not addressed in the design of information, can lead to biased understanding. This workshop will explore online health information regarding one specific health topic: screening tests such as Maternal Serum Screening for birth defects. We will review the issues that arise in presenting this information, and analyze information typically available online with respect to completeness, effectiveness, and ease of understanding, demonstrating that much of the information available online is insufficient or inappropriate to meet consumer needs. We argue that consumer health information services must evolve so that the dominant entities are not documents, but rather concepts that are meaningful for users looking to support some of the most important decisions of their lives. This can be achieved through the use of metadata architectures, and information professionals will serve a critical role in this evolution. Session courtesy of MAHIP.

Notes

Who Looks for Online Health Information?

Health Information on the Internet Can Help Save Your Life

Many people seeking online health information are:

• frightened
• overwhelmed
• confused
• in a position of ignorance

And they are making important decisions:

-whether to seek immediate medical attention

-how to treat a condition

-whether to accept a diagnosis

What is the Role of Librarians?

"We have seen the role of librarian change from custodian of books to knowledge navigator, facilitator and educator."

Being informed is more than just having access to information. To inform, information must be:

• found
• trusted
• understood
• influential in decision making

At every stage heuristics, biases, cognitive limitations, and unconscious information processing strategies influence the perception, understanding, and use of information.

Assisting Individuals to Make Informed Health Decisions Involoves:

1.Selecting the Right Information
-websites that meet the criteria of authority, comprehensiveness and excellence. But it also requires the facilitating of: access to information, appropriate evaluation information, understanding of information, integration and use of information.

2.Facilitating Access
-Access to online health information should be as easy and straightforward as possible. The interface should 'get out of the way' of the client who is looking for information. Important design principles include using perceptual qualities and placement of important information where it will be seen.

3.Facilitating Evaluation
-Information should be designed to promote trust. This means paying attention to the factors that determine believability. Believable web sites should have a real world feel, are easy to use, demonstrate expertise, demonstrate trustworthiness and are tailored to individuals.

4.Facilitating Understanding
-Not all information is equal. Different presentations of the same information can be easier (or more difficult) to understand. Not all people are equal: tailor information presentation to the abilities of clients.

5.Facilitating Use
-Psychological factors can influence information use, and we're often not aware of these influences. Whenever possible, information providers should try to minimize these influences.

To Conclude:

• -Recognizing that the client is the last link in the informing process.
• -Understanding and responding to our clients': information needs, cognitive capacities and limitations, emotional state.