How to find health information online Francesca Frati, librarian Arlene Greenberg, librarian Jacynthe Touchette, librarian Patient Information Specialists November 1 2012

Agenda Why being informed is important How to evaluate consumer health information Overview of selected websites Resources at the JGH

Why do you look for health information? Shared-decision making To understand information received from your health professional To participate in your health To be partners with your care To make informed decisions

Why your health professional wants you to be informed Patient-centred care: An informed patient is an empowered patient, better able to act as partner with his or her health professional (HP) with the goal of achieving improved health outcomes. “shared or informed decision making, evidence based patient choice, or concordance.” Studies have shown that…..and informed patient is empowered and more in control of the situation. They are less anxious and more ready to act as a partner with their health practitioner. 1. Coulter A, Ellins J. Effectiveness of strategies for informing, educating, and involving patients. BMJ  2007;335:24-27. Available from www.bmj.com

In a nutshell… The hospital has Patient Safety Week from Oct. 31st-Nov. 4th. Booths are set up for patient safety awareness and what The hospital is doing in this area. For eg. PFRC

Why look online? Accessible 24/7 from home/library Free and fast Relatively up-to-date Easily check multiple sources Interactive Community: support groups and blogs

Evaluating health information Websites and blogs In the news What to look for when you see something on a website, blog or in the news!!

It is easy to navigate the website. *or blogs It is easy to navigate the website. All the links work. There is a copyright. Woodbury, Jeff. New York City: SPAT Artist, 2003.

You can tell who created the website. .edu .gov .org *or blogs You can tell who created the website. .edu .gov .org You can contact the authors. The authors provide their credentials. Transparency

The authors are not selling something. This symbol: is on the page. You can verify the information. You can see where the information came from. *or blogs

Evaluating web pages Created in 1995, HON is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, accredited to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

You can tell who the information is meant for. *or blogs You can tell who the information is meant for. It is easy for you to read and understand the information.

Which is the most important factor in determining health outcomes? Socioeconomic status Age/sex Literacy/ Health literacy Culture Level of education It might be surprising to know that the most important factor …….is Literacy…. Information should be written at a Grade 6 level for easy comprehension.

You can see when the page was last updated. *or blogs The information is current (the date is included). You can see when the page was last updated.

If you answered to all, yes Even if you can trust this trust *or blogs If you answered to all, or most of, these questions then you can probably the information you are getting. Even if you can trust this information you should yes trust always ask your doctor for advice.

Evaluating the news Does the story include references? Are these references authoritative? Which study? Journal name? Author? Date? What kind of study?

Overview of online consumer health resources The next couple of slides will give examples of the kinds of information you can find on the web

Cancer Canadian Cancer Society www.cancer.ca American Cancer Society www.cancer.org National Cancer Institute www.cancer.gov

French Cancer CiSMeF-patients cancérologie www.chu-rouen.fr Passeportsanté www.passeportsante.net Info Cancer www.arcagy.org/infocancer Fondation québécoise du cancer www.fqc.qc.ca

General interest (and also cancer) Medline Plus www.medlineplus.org Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.com Family Doctor www.familydoctor.org

Complementary and Alternative BC Cancer Agency www.bccancer.bc.ca/PPI/UnconventionalTherapies/default.htm National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine http://nccam.nih.gov Health Canada – Licensed Natural Health Products Database www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodnatur/applications/licen-prod/lnhpd-bdpsnh-eng.php Natural Standard http://3rdparty.naturalstandard.com/frameset.asp

Free medical research sites PubMed www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Clinical Trials www.clinicaltrials.gov Google Scholar http://scholar.google.ca NB Not all indexed articles are free- we can provide access to the full text at the PFRC

Dictionaries/encyclopedias MedlinePlus www.medlineplus.org English HONselect www.hon.ch/HONselect Multiple Terminologie CISMeF http://terminologiecismef.chu-rouen.fr English<>French Canadian cancer encyclopedia http://info.cancer.ca/cce-ecc/default.aspx?Lang=E Bilingual

Patient and Family Resource Centre (PFRC)

JGH.ca/PFRC

Search the PEN collection

You may be referred to us… * We encourage JGH Healthcare Staff to refer their patients to us by using the InfoRx form. *Medical Advice not included

PFRC Disclaimer This information should not be considered as medical advice. It is not to be used in place of a visit with a doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional. If you have questions about your individual medical situation, please consult with your healthcare professional.

Thank you! Questions?