It is hoped that many hospital administrators and health care providers will take the health information literacy curricula and recognize that librarians can educate about the topic and that providers will use related consumer health services and resources.
The PHR field is very dynamic. While most PHR products have some common elements, their features can vary. PHRs can link their users with librarians and information resources. MLA and NLM have taken an active role in making this connection and in encouraging librarians to assume this assistance role with PHRs.
Many health‐care professionals are reaching for their palm‐size computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) as their latest indispensable health‐care instrument. How can libraries, librarians and information science professionals support further adoption of this popular peripheral tool? The Tompkins‐McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, has formed a health‐care PDA Special Interest Group and sponsored a listserv to provide opportunities for informal communications. In addition, other health sciences libraries have provided instructional and program development support. Highlights such activities and programs to provide an overview of how PDAs are being used by health‐care practitioners throughout the country. In addition, offers Internet home pages and articles that specifically address health‐care applications of the PDA.
Although designed with the physicians' input, the study results demonstrated a disconnect in the information prescription process. The addition of intervention fidelity measures may have ensured a more positive outcome.
Purpose
University of Utah has created various partnerships to improve health literacy and health outcomes among patient populations, employees and community members. Health sciences librarians have been key members of these partnerships. This paper aims to describe and share several of these partnerships, including training programs, research efforts and advocacy initiatives, to encourage others to engage in similar activities.
Design/methodology/approach
Case studies include outreach projects and partnerships to foster health literacy and promote healthy living such as: highly visible information resource provision and associated outreach for patients and families; community health fairs; research on providing point-of-need information for vulnerable community populations; health literacy awareness and resources for professionals; health literacy education for interprofessional students; and a competition for interprofessional students to create health videos to address a variety of topics in multiple languages.
Findings
Partnerships and outreach efforts lead to improved awareness by institutional personnel of the importance of health literacy. Research on using health literacy to empower patients and increase patient satisfaction can demonstrate how to lower institutional costs and improve guideline compliance, as well out health outcomes.
Originality/value
Librarians’ instructional skills create personal health educational content for patients and professionals; engaging colleagues to address health literacy lowers health care costs, institutional costs and increases patient compliance and satisfaction.
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