Michal Fedeles, PhD Director, Continuing Health Education, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences Simon Fraser University Céline Cressman, MSc Collaborator, University of Toronto Katherine Wisener Researcher, eHealth Strategy Office, Faculty of Medicine University of British Columbia Engaging Patients & the Community: (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 We asked in a survey …

390 participants: Gender Female74% Male26% Age Group <3015% % % % > 6010% Education Level Primary0% Secondary14% 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, PhD Catherine Dunlop, PhD Simon Fraser University Céline Cressman, MSc University of Toronto Katherine Wisener Kathryn Hornby, DMD, MLS Sandra Singh University of British Columbia Thanks Engaging Patients & the Community: (e)Literacy for Better Health