Michal Fedeles, PhD

Director, Continuing Health Education,Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences

Simon Fraser University

Céline Cressman, MSc

Collaborator, University of Toronto

Katherine WisenerResearcher, eHealth Strategy Office, Faculty of Medicine

University of British Columbia

Engaging Patients & the Community:Engaging Patients & the Community: (e)Literacy for Better Health (e)Literacy for Better Health

How much do patients, etc., know

about ICTs in health care?

Physicians

Researchers

Educators

Patients

Individuals

Communities

What opportunities can we create for dialogue & learning?

Are we making a difference?What else can be done?

Engaging the Public with Health ICTs

• What did we want to know?• Where do you go for health information?

• Why were we curious?• So we could develop educational programs &

resources to allow people to benefit more fully from the available information technologies in health care

• Who completed our 18-question survey?• 390 patients & other members of the public

www.MyBetterHealth.cawww.MyBetterHealth.ca

We asked in a survey …

• 390 participants:

Gender

Female 74%

Male 26%

Age Group

<30 15%

30-39 19%

40-49 26%

50-59 30%

> 60 10%

Education Level

Primary 0%

Secondary 14%

University/ College

52%

Master’s degree

22%

Ph.D. or higher

12%

Who completed the survey?

• We use the web as a resource for health information more frequently than other sources (e.g., physician, friends, family, newspapers, magazines)• 86% of us use the web for health info

sometimes/often

• Google is used as an online source for health information more frequently than other online sources• 87% use Google to search for health information

online

What did we learn?

Where do people go for health information?

• Compared to health information in paper format, people perceive electronic health information to be:

• More organized (75.7%) and accessible (75.5%)

• Less confidential (46.9%)

• When doctors use computers during appointments, they are more likely to:

• Explain diagnoses and treatment (58.5%)• Quickly locate medical history (63.9%)• Shorten appointment time (41.1%)

The survey data also suggested …

Audiences: General Public (Phases I & II)

Aboriginal Communities (Phase III)

Rural Librarians (Phase IV)

• Goals:• Improve understanding of the role and

impact of ICTs on the consumer / public

• Improve health (e)literacy

What engagement / learning would be effective?

• Searching Health Information Online• Free public forums / learning sessions

• Led by an experienced medical librarian

• Participants (over 100):• Members of the public

• Health and education professionals

• Information and library science specialists

• Interactive lectures & hands-on (in a computer lab)

Phases I & II: Engaging the general public

• Rich dialogue consistently unfolded about:• Identifying respectable online health information

sources

• Critically appraising validity & applicability of information to self

• Participants left with resource packages outlining:• Principles & tips for browsing & searching online health

information

• Recognized online resources for various health topics

Public forums

• 80% completed written evaluations; of those:

• 70-75% found the session to be very informative, interactive, useful, organized and interesting

• Participants gained new knowledge and skills in:• Conducting advanced searches

• Using “question asking strategies” to locate information

• Browsing health information websites (beyond Google)

• Distinguishing between government and commercial sites

• Sharing information with family and friends

• Investigating potential biases of some sites

What did we learn?

• Participants’ suggestions to improve future sessions:• Stratify the audience by prior knowledge & skills

• Hold a follow-up session after participants applied learned knowledge

• Focus on specific content to delve deeply into (specific conditions, alternative medicine, etc.)

• All 3 sessions offered in urban settings (Surrey, Vancouver) – what about others?

What else did we learn?

• Goal:• Develop & implement similar sessions in Aboriginal

communities

• Target:• Ktunaxa communities

• Those to whom community members turn with their health information needs:

• Health professionals

• Non-health professionals

• Research leads in Ktunaxa Community Learning Centre (CLC)

Phase III: Engaging Aboriginal communities

Goals

• Train-the-trainer to develop facilitators who will lead training in the communities

• Evaluate the engagement process & the training’s efficacy

• Report findings in academic & community outlets

• An opportunity for cross-case analysis to determine whether health literacy training helpful in the development of the CLCs

• A needs assessment study aimed at understanding:• The specifics of health information searches by

members of rural & remote communities (access to the web, the key providers of health information, etc.)

• Library staff’s need for training, professional development, or other support to enhance their ability to serve these clients

• Key informant interviews with public library staff, health librarians, and health professionals

• Development of learning opportunities & supports to enhance health (e)literacy in rural & remote settings

• Further funding sought

Phase IV: Engaging rural librarians

Michal Fedeles, PhDCatherine Dunlop, PhD

Simon Fraser University

Céline Cressman, MScUniversity of Toronto

Katherine WisenerKathryn Hornby, DMD, MLS

Sandra SinghUniversity of British Columbia

Thanks

Engaging Patients & the Community:Engaging Patients & the Community: (e)Literacy for Better Health (e)Literacy for Better Health