finding health information on the internet a planned approach - dec 2013 - help
TRANSCRIPT
FINDING HEALTH INFORMATION FINDING HEALTH INFORMATION ON THE NETON THE NET
Vasumathi SriganeshQMed Knowledge Foundation
DO SHARE WITH US…
• How many of you do use the Internet to seek health information?
• What is your approach when you search?
TODAY’S TALK – FOUR PARTS
• Background / scope / importance of searching correctly
• Types of information resources
• Examples of very important resources
• Foundational principles of searching
PART I - BACKGROUND
• Context
• Right kinds of resources – the importance
• Searching – what is right and wrong
WHEN DO WE NEED HEALTH INFORMATION?
• “Health” related queries – “Are bananas good for our health”?
• “Condition” related queries – Pregnancy, Bringing up kids, Posture, Obesity…
• “Disease” related queries – Back pain, Diabetes, Cancer…
WE NEED TO
• Understand diseases / conditions
• Find professionals / institutions
• Make the right decision
BEFORE WE SEARCH
We need to know…
ABOUT RESOURCES
Authenticity
• Who is responsible for the resource / website?
Recency
• Is it updated regularly / is the information current?
Purpose
• Purpose of the resource / site - is there scope for bias?
Organization
• Organization of the resource / site – is it easy to find what you need
RESPONSIBILITY
Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/webeval/webeval_start.html
EVALUATING…
“About Us”
• PABH: Doctors & Cardiologists; mission – to educate public; contact details provided
• IHH: “Select” group of individuals and businesses concerned with heart health. – Site supported by a company that produces vitamins
and other medications– Link for buying medicines– Contact details – only “webmaster”
SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION
OUR QUESTION
• Bananas for our health…. Good / Bad? – Do they make us put on weight?– Or do they *really* help us burn fat?
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT…..
SO…
• What do we believe?
• How many pages of search results do we go through?
USING INTERNET RESOURCES
It IS possible to use “the right methods” to search!
STEP BY STEP APPROACH
Learn:
• “About” resources
• How to search correctly and/or consult librarians / specialists
• How to understand research results and consult health professionals
• To….Accept limitations of research results and methods and make correct personal decisions
PART II - TYPES OF RESOURCES
ABOUT RESOURCES
Categorize them… and understand where to go
THREE CATEGORIES
Medical Information Resources – three main categories
• Background information / Factual information
• Results of all “reported research”– What works– What does not work– We don’t know yet
• Reported research– In labs– On people
• (Large studies)
WEBSITES
Can be
• Single type
• Combination types
Learn to identify what type of information each website provides!
PART III - EXAMPLES:VERY IMPORTANT RESOURCES
WEBSITES FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION
MEDLINEPLUS.GOV
Authentic?Purpose?
Ease of organization?
Information about updates?
WEBSITES FOR RESULTS OF RESEARCH
Cochrane Summaries
PubMed Health
summaries.cochrane.org
summaries.cochrane.org
COCHRANE COLLABORATION
• Experts from different medical fields– Eg: “Pregnancy and childbirth group”
ALSO:
• Cochrane Consumer Network
http://consumers.cochrane.org/
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/
PART IV: SEARCHING: FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES
SEARCHING CORRECTLY
Research Articles
www.pubmed.gov
(Database of 20 million journal articles)
SEARCHING CORRECTLY
• Word search – presence of the word
• Field search – Where do you want your word to be?
• Combinations: AND, OR, NOT
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
• Searching is a structured art and science
• Know where to go– Authentic resources – updated regularly
• Search correctly
• Evidence may/may not exist
• Take your decision with your doctor, based on “best available evidence”
QMED KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION
• Conducts programs on correct searching for health professionals
• Developing plans to help consumers, with the help of doctors
• People involved– Librarians specialized in medical information
management– Trustees – two doctors
REAL LIFE STORIES
• HELP – Doctor – son – rare condition
…my son had a rare disease- agenesis of corpus callosum. Your information helped me a lot. Taking the cue, I went to Boston to meet someone who ran a NGO on this disease. I still receive a newsletter from that group. Now my son works in _____All thanks to you.
REAL LIFE STORIES
• Family friend – rare disease
….The entire credit of my miraculous recovery from a seemingly incurable disorder, goes to my visit to your place, when I came to know about pubmed!! I am trying my bit, to spread awareness about the cure …..
www.qmed.org.in
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
• Fact sheet – now
• Searching for specific needs– “I am 37 and wish to have a baby now. How safe is it”– “My doctor has given a choice of two chemotherapy drugs for my
mother. How do I choose”
– Consulting sessions to help you • Search and discuss with your doctor – but NOT
• Medical advice – which your doctor will give you
QMED IS
• A not for profit Trust
• No government or agency funding
• We crowdsource funds and ask for donations for any professional help we provide
QMED KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION
Helping patients & their caregivers to seek reliable information and participate responsibly in health care decisions