Keeping Students Engaged as
They Learn About and Critically Evaluate
Consumer Health Information Resources
Monina R. Lahoz, Ph.D.
Irena Bond, MSLIS, MA
Session Objectives
• Provide an overview of an elective health literacy
course
• Describe 2 sessions in the course
o Traditional and online consumer health information
resources
o Critical evaluation of online health information
• Describe and/or demonstrate
o
o
o
o
Pre-class assignments, including online resources, tutorials
In-class activities
Assessment of student performance and learning
Benefits of faculty and librarian collaboration
Elective Course
• PSW 354 – Addressing the Health Literacy
Challenge
• 3 credit hours, offered during the 10-week
summer term
o Meets once a week for ~3 hours
• First year pharmacy students
o 2011: n=31
o 2010: n=45
o 2009: n=40
Session Topic
1
Health Communication and Health Literacy
2
Measuring Health Literacy
3
Suitability and Readability of Written/Print Materials
4
Patient-centered Communications – The WRITTEN
Word: Easy-To-Read, Plain Language Written Materials
5
Patient-centered Communications - The SPOKEN Word,
Personal Action Plan
6
Health Literacy and Pharmacy – Medication Labels
7
Is our pharmacy meeting patients’ needs? A Pharmacy
Health Literacy Assessment Tool
8
9
Consumer Health Information Resources
Evaluating Online Health Information
10
Educational Poster Project & Presentation
Faculty & Librarian Collaboration
• Monina R. Lahoz, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Irena Bond, MSLIS, MA
Library Manager – Blais Family Library
MCPHS Worcester campus
Course Design: Focus on the Learner
Prior to
class
-Assigned
reading(s)
-Assigned
searching of
online resources,
tutorials (on
demand)
During
class
-Individual, group ,
and/or class
reflection
-Mini-lectures
-Clicker-deployed
questions &
feedback
End of/
After class
-De-briefing,
review of
activity and key
points
-Lecture notes
posted on
Blackboard
Multiple strategies to engage and teach
Session – What? Why? How?
Source: Fox, J. “Establishing Relevance.” The Teaching Professor, May 2010.
WHAT?
•
•
•
•
•
What are we doing in class today?
What questions will we try to answer?
What concepts will we address?
What questions will we answer?
What activities will we do?
WHY?
•
•
•
•
Why are we studying this?
How are today’s content and activities tied to the course learning outcomes?
What should I know and be able to do after today’s class?
How can the information and skills be used in everyday life?
HOW?
•
•
•
How are we going to address the content?
Will we use lectures? Activities? Discussions?
How will different learning styles be accommodated?
Group Formation
• Use a deck of cards
• On the first day of class, as students enter the
classroom, ask each student to pick a card
• Those with the same number form a group (4
members per group)
• Use the card suit to:
o Assign a group leader/monitor/speaker for a
class session
o Pair students – red suits (diamond, heart),
black suits (club, spade)
Session 1 - Consumer Health
Information Resources
Learning Outcomes: Student will be able to:
• Identify traditional and online consumer health
information resources.
• Differentiate between Medline and MedlinePlus.
• Describe the main features of the Home Page of
MedlinePlus.
• Answer consumer-type questions using the following
online resources:
o MedlinePlus – http://medlineplus.gov
o KidsHealth – http://kidshealth.org
o NIH SeniorHealth – http://nihseniorhealth.gov
Session 1 - Pre-class assignments
• Assigned readings – example:
Henner T. An intergenerational approach to Internet training:
Student-led outreach to promote seniors’ use of Internet health
resources. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet. 2009;
13:334-346.
• View the MedlinePlus Tour tutorial (~8 minutes) at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tour/tour.html
• Explore “Helping Older Adults Search for Health
Information Online: A Toolkit for Trainers – Module 6:
Introduction to MedlinePlus”
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkitfiles/pdf/Module_6.pdf
Session 1 - Pre-class assignments
Other Options/Resources
• MedlinePlus Information for Librarians and Trainers
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/training/trainers.html
• MLA Consumer Health Resources
http://www.mlanet.org/resources/consumr_index.html
o MLA's Top Ten Websites
o Deciphering Medspeak
Session 1 - In-class activities
• Session – What? Why? How?
• Mini-lecture
o
o
o
o
o
Highlights of assigned article(s) – clicker-deployed questions
Why the focus on older adults
Traditional health information resources
Difference between Medline and MedlinePlus
Highlights – MedlinePlus Homepage; use teaching aids:
o MedlinePlus brochure
http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mptri.pdf
o MedlinePlus for Health Professionals brochure
http://nnlm.gov/training/resources/mp4hptri.pdf
o Information Rx: http://www.informationrx.org/
• Scavenger Hunt (40 points)
Session 1 - Assigned article
Henner T. An intergenerational approach to
Internet training: Student-led outreach to
promote seniors’ use of Internet health
resources. Journal of Consumer Health on the
Internet. 2009; 13:334-346.
Make sure your clicker is on the correct
channel and is working.
Session 1 - Mini-lecture (sample)
• Why the focus on older adults?
o Health literacy context - Who is at risk
for limited health literacy?
o Often the target of health scams.
ohttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
healthfraud.html
Session 1 - Scavenger Hunt
(40 points)
• Today’s group monitor - heart
• Monitor – Pick up 5 copies of the (color) worksheet.
Distribute 1 copy to each member. Keep the 5th copy
as your group worksheet.
• Proceed to the Computer Room. Individually, in pairs,
or as a group, complete your group worksheet within
the allotted time.
• Time: 60 minutes (3-point penalty for late submission)
• Monitor – submit your group worksheet.
Session 1 - End of activity/class:
• Share Scavenger Hunt group answers with
the whole class. (Call on different card
suits to provide an answer.)
• Provide feedback on the Scavenger Hunt
activity.
o Learning
Session 1 - Consumer Health
Information Resources
Assessment of student performance/learning
• Clicker (audience response system)
questions on assigned journal article(s) – 1
point each
• Scavenger Hunt Worksheet – 40 points
Session 2 – Evaluating Online
Health Information
Learning Outcomes: Student will be able to:
• Critically evaluate an online health
information website.
• Compare and contrast website evaluation
criteria offered by various sources.
Pre-class assignments
• Complete the MedlinePlus tutorial (~16 minutes)
“Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial
from the National Library Medicine”
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/webeval/webeval.html.
Pay attention to the checklist.
• Explore “Helping Older Adults Search for Health
Information Online: A Toolkit for Trainers – Module 9:
Evaluating Health Websites”
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkitfiles/pdf/Module_9.pdf.
Pre-class assignments
Other Options/Resources:
• National Network of Libraries of Medicine “Evaluating Health Web Sites”
http://nnlm.gov/outreach/consumer/evalsite.html
• NIA’s AgePage “Online Health information: Can You Trust It?”
http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/onlinehealth.htm
• Trust it or Trash it? http://www.trustortrash.org/TrustorTrash.pdf
• MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthywebsurfing.html
• US FDA How to Evaluate Health Information on the Internet:
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedici
neSafely/BuyingMedicinesOvertheInternet/ucm202863.htm#checklist
• National Cancer Institute. Evaluating Health Information on the Internet:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Information/internet
In-class activities
• Session – What? Why? How?
• Mini-lecture
o Health information seeking behaviors of consumers
o Health information seeking behaviors of medical
providers
o Question on alcohol and pregnancy
o NLM and other .gov resources
o Web 2.0 and mobile technologies for consumer health
• Worksheet (30 points)
o 2010: 2 pages, 28 criteria, bottom line
Health information seeking
behaviors of medical providers
• Testimonials from real patients and physicians on how Internet
has helped them find health information (a Google video)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuNhxPCu2aY&eurl=http:
//davidrothman.net/2007/10/05/consumers-and-physiciansonline-for-health/&feature=player_embedded ~4 minutes)
• Discussion on video: Your thoughts?
o Is Internet health information easily available?
o Is Internet health information easily accessible?
o Is Internet health information scientifically valid?
o Is Internet health information trustworthy?
o Is Internet health information easily understood?
o Can everyone use Internet health information?
o Way are we asking these questions?
Question: How much alcohol
can a pregnant woman drink?
• What would a typical consumer do to find
an answer?
• What would you do?
What a typical consumer (or an uninformed health
care professional?) may find online
• The Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8043393/Pregnant-womentold-glass-of-wine-a-week-wont-harm-baby-research.html
• Pregnant women can drink safely in moderation
o http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/women/articles/preg2.htm
• Can pregnant women drink alcohol in moderation?
o http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCall/story?id=4232695&page=1
• BBC NEWS | Health | Pregnant women 'ignore drink advice‘
o http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2658511.stm
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Guidelines
o http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp170.cfm
• ACOG Clarification of ABC News segment
o http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr02-0608-1.cfm
In-class exercise (30 points)
• Today’s group monitor - club
• Monitor – Pick up 5 copies of the (color) worksheet. Distribute 1
copy to each member. Keep the 5th copy as your group
worksheet.
• Use the checklist to evaluate and determine if the following
Website is a reliable source of health information: RYT Hospital
Dwayne Medical Center at http://www.rythospital.com
• Proceed to the Computer Room. Individually, in pairs, or as a
group, complete your group worksheet within the allotted time.
• Time: 30 minutes (2-point penalty for late submission)
• Monitor – submit your group worksheet.
End of activity/class:
• Share group worksheet answers with the
whole class. (Call on different card suits to
provide an answer.)
• Bottom line - Discuss limitations of
checklists for evaluating Internet sites.
• Provide feedback on the activity.
o Learning
Session - Evaluating Online
Health Information
Assessment of student performance/learning
• Worksheet – 30 points
Summary
• Faculty and librarians collaborate to design and/or
teach a course
o Use strategies to keep students engaged as they learn
o Annually update the course, sync in info from attendance at
conferences/others
• Offer multiple perspectives to the study of the health
literacy challenge
• Use existing reliable resources (consult librarians); no
need to start from scratch or re-invent the wheel
Acknowledgment
We would like to express publicly our
sincerest gratitude to:
Michelle Eberle
Consumer Health Information Coordinator
NN/LM New England Region
based at UMass Medical School Lamar
Soutter Library for teaching our July 12 PSW
354 class.