beyond an apple a day: providing consumer health information in the public library an infopeople...
TRANSCRIPT
Beyond an Apple a Day:Providing Consumer Health
Information in the Public Library An Infopeople Webcast
Presenters: Kelli Ham, [email protected] Carr, [email protected] Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Southwest Region
April 25, 200612:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Pacific Southwest Region Home Page
Today’s Agenda
Consumer Health – then and now Challenges faced by patrons and library staff Handling the reference interview Legal and ethical issues Consumer health services in your library Print and online collection development Collaboration with community partners
Housekeeping
Today’s webcast:– presentation: 50 minutes– Q&A: final 10 minutes
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Changes in Consumer Access to Health Information
Historically, medical information has been provided to patients at the physician’s discretion -La Rocca, Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1994 Jan;82(1):46-51
“The patient has the right to and is encouraged to obtain from physicians and other direct caregivers relevant, current, and understandable information concerning diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.” -1972 American Hospital Association Patient Bill of Rights
Factors that Stimulate Demand forConsumer Health Information
Patients start taking more responsibility for their own health care decisions and acting as their own advocates
The "baby boom" generation, known for questioning authority, starts to reach the age when medical concerns increase.
Health care providers adopt managed care models to curtail rising health care costs.
The introduction of user-friendly web browsers in 1995 make both access and dissemination of information on the Internet fast, easy and free.
Computers are more affordable now.
-MLA News, January 2003/No. 351:14
Consumers need a place to go that is:
– Non-threatening– Accessible– Has information in a format they can
understand (this is a health literacy issue)
The Public Library’s Role
Health Information Seeking – Issues for Patrons
Expect to find information that addresses their own unique problems
Base questions on misinformation or inadequate information
Have minimal library or research skills Have difficulty interpreting conflicting information Lack skills in evaluating the quality of information
Health Information Seeking Behavior
Exhibiting intense emotion – fear, worry Inability to present the problem clearly Unreasonable expectations regarding the
information that can be provided Confusion about the library’s role
Providing Health Information - Issues Faced by Library Staff
May not be familiar with specialized resources that would best answer the question
Language/vocabulary in medical texts might be too difficult for patrons to read/understand
Often time-consuming Afraid of giving the wrong answer Afraid of giving “medical advice”
The Librarian’s Role
“For librarians who work with healthcare consumers, it is important to understand the role that information plays in helping people to cope with the stress imposed by their condition or illness.”
– Consumer Health Information for Public Librarians,
by Baker and Manbeck (p. 5), 2002
Reference Interview ”Do’s”
Do provide a safe, private place for your reference interviews.
Do use terms like “You must be worried,” or “This must be difficult.”
Do identify appropriate and quality health information resources in response to requests.
Do provide a range of materials. Do explain why a resource is best suited to
answer their question
Reference Interview “Don’ts”
Do not judge, give an opinion, or tell the person “it’s probably nothing.”
Do not speak from personal experience or knowledge.
Do not pretend to have medical knowledge or guess at the condition.
Do not give advice.
The Health Reference Interview:What You Need to Know
Who is asking
How information will be used
What patron already knows
The kind of information the patron wants
Points to Consider
Suitable resources for information needed
Level of information needed
Verify terms used; check spelling in medical dictionary
Consider Your Body Language
Smile
Make eye contact
Move or turn toward patron; face patron directly
Lean in toward patron; maintain open posture
Speak at same tone/level as patron
Other Important Considerations
Answer the patron’s question as thoroughly as possible
ALWAYS cite source of information provided
DO NOT provide:– medical advice, opinions or recommendations – a diagnosis or interpretation of medical information
3 Little Words
I Don’t Know
Or, “I can’t get that information for you because…”
It’s okay to refer the person back to his/her health care provider
Health Reference Interview: Additional Sources
MLA Code of Ethics for Health Sciences Librarianship http://www.mlanet.org/about/ethics.html
ALA – RUSA Guidelines for Medical, Legal, and Business Responses: http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/guidelinesmedical.htm
NN/LM’s HealthInfoQuest Reference Interview Resources: http://nnlm.gov/healthinfoquest/help/interviews.html
Legal and Ethical Considerations
“Any librarian offering health information must be careful to offer only the information provided by the sources consulted and never to help interpret this information… The librarian may act as an information provider but never as a healthcare provider.”
– Consumer Health Reference Service Handbook, by Barclay and Halsted (p. 130), 2001
Legal and Ethical Guidelines
Privacy/confidentiality – Keep information confidential
Be sensitive to public environment Know the limits of your collection – Once you
have gone as far as you can go, refer the patron back to their health care provider or a professional association
What does this mean…?
Do not fall into the trap of interpreting or translating medical information into lay language
Help the patron find definitions or explanations that they can read and interpret themselves
If the question starts with “Should I…?” recognize that the patron may be asking for advice
Consider using disclaimers– See the examples in the disclaimer handouts
Providing the Service
Resources Books Medical texts Journals Newsletters Videos Brochures Health databases
(subscription-based) Internet resources
Services Internet access Computer technology Research services Printing and other
supplies Telephone reference Delivery services (ILLs,
E-mail, snail mail) Health fairs, programs
Collection Development
Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) web site http://caphis.mlanet.org/resources/index.html
Medical Library Association Collection Development Sectionhttp://colldev.mlanet.org/subject.html
Alan Rees’ book – Consumer Health Information Services by Oryx Press. Regularly updated
Other Considerations for Consumer Health Collections
Retention of health materials is shorter than materials for general collection
Policy should include how materials are selected and weeded, and how gifts are handled
Attention should be given to special populations and the community served
What about Databases?
Many public libraries subscribe to health databases by companies such as EBSCO, ProQuest or Gale
Many state libraries provide access to health and other databases to public libraries
Online Consumer Health Resources
Use quality Internet resources to answer many consumer questions
Some of the best government websites:– MedlinePlus– NIH Health Information– Healthfinder.gov– National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine – NIHSeniorHealth
More Quality Websites
Familydoctor.org– www.familydoctor.org
Dirline– dirline.nlm.nih.gov
American Heart Association– www.americanheart.org
Cancer.gov– cancer.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov– ClinicalTrials.gov
http://nnlm.gov/libinfo/community
Working with Community Partners
Topics Covered on the Community Partners Website
Growing demand for health information Providing health information services Guides for developing a community-based
health information program Funding opportunities for partnerships Resource list
Collaborate with other Librarians
Find your nearest hospital/medical librarian– MedlinePlus – Find a Library
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/libraries.html– NN/LM Members Directory
• http://nnlm.gov/members/adv.html – AHA Hospital Directory in MedlinePlus Directories
• http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/directories/index.cfm MLA Local Chapter
– http://www.mlanet.org/chapters/index.html MLA Consumer and Patient Health Information Section
– http://caphis.mlanet.org
Partner with Community Agencies
Go Local section of MedlinePlus Look in the community newspapers and see
which health-related agencies are getting recognition
Contact your chamber of commerce and ask for a membership list
Look in your local Yellow Pages
Planning the Service
Needs assessment– Keep track of health-related reference requests – The most common diseases and procedures in the
community can provide an overall view– Find out about local programs in your community
Know the Community
Analyze the demographic profile of your community– Age– Education level– New Arrivals? Languages?– Economic profile? Unemployed? Underinsured?
Demographic Resources
Sources for statistical information:– Your county’s website– CDC Faststats
• www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/map_page.htm
– Kaiser State Health Facts• www.statehealthfacts.org
– NN/LM PSR Regional Info for California • nnlm.gov/psr/about/region/california.htm
Regional Information
Funding Opportunities
Pacific Southwest Region Home Page
Thank You!
For questions or more information, call the National Network of Libraries of Medicine,
Pacific Southwest Region
1-800-338-7657