Health Literacy and Law: Empowering Libraries to Improve Access to Consumer Health Information and ACA Compliance

Australia has a high number of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds whose primary language is not English. CALD population groups have comparatively lower levels of education and health literacy, and poorer health outcomes compared with the Australian-born population. The delivery of consumer health information to people from CALD backgrounds usually includes the use of translated resources. Unfortunately, the quality of translated resources available on health issues is highly variable and may impact efforts to address the disparities in health outcomes. Currently applied guides to translation focus on accuracy and literalness of the translation; however, for health translations, conveying meaning and incorporating culturally relevant information is essential. Minimum standards for developing translated resources are needed to provide an indication of quality for end users, including healthcare providers, the client and carer. This paper describes the development of a Translation Standard, led by a community nursing organisation in collaboration and consultation with CALD community members and peak community organisations in Melbourne, Australia. The Translation Standard includes 10 components that have been identified as necessary to ensure a minimum standard of translation that is of high quality and caters to the health literacy levels of the target audience. What is known about the topic? There are many people from CALD backgrounds who have worse health outcomes than people who are Australian born. There is a gap in guidance to health professionals on how to develop high-quality translations of consumer health information that consider culture and health literacy. Higher-quality translations are needed to better inform CALD groups about their health. What does this paper add? The description of a new Translation Standard to guide the development of culturally relevant consumer health translations, considering the cultural needs and health literacy level of the target audience. What are the implications for practitioners? The Translation Standard provides assurance to practitioners that any translation that has followed this Standard is of high quality and increases the likelihood that the target audience will find the information relevant and understandable. The Translation Standard can assist consumers to make more informed choices and decisions about their health. Future translations would benefit by using such a guide.

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Free Library of Health: Consumer Health Information, Health Literacy, and Library Programming in Philadelphia

Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet ◽

10.1080/15398285.2018.1440859 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 91-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kathleen Daingerfield-Fries ◽

William Torrence ◽

Renee Pokorny ◽

Link Ross ◽

Autumn McClintock

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Health Information ◽

Consumer Health Information ◽

Consumer Health ◽

Health Consumer ◽

Library Programming

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Hispanics and public libraries

Reference Services Review ◽

10.1108/rsr-02-2016-0015 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 85-99 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

EunYoung Yoo-Lee ◽

Tamara Rhodes ◽

Gabriel M. Peterson

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Needs ◽

Public Libraries ◽

Public Library ◽

Consumer Health Information ◽

The Internet ◽

Consumer Health ◽

Content Type ◽

Low Health Literacy

Purpose The fastest-growing and the largest minority group in the USA, Hispanics are known to have low health literacy because of their limited English proficiency (LEP) and other socio-economic and cultural factors. This paper aims to examine the health information-seeking behaviors of Hispanics in the e-health environment and their use of public libraries as a health information source/service. Design/methodology/approach An interviewer-administered survey was conducted using a semi-structured instrument. The questionnaires inquired about Hispanics’ health information needs, source use and source preference; use of the library for health information needs; and their perceptions and satisfaction about the library’s consumer health information services. A total of 26 Hispanics were recruited from a Hispanic community organization, a public library and an ethnic grocery store in North Carolina. Findings The majority of the participants are foreign born (92.3 per cent) and non-English speakers (84.6 per cent). The internet was the most frequently used source, followed by friends/family, doctors and TV. Eighty-one per cent of the participants were internet users, and most of them (71 per cent) used the internet at home. Only 23 per cent visited a public library to search the internet for health information. Some barriers to using a public library mentioned by the participants include lack of time to visit a library, lack of skills in using the library materials, transportation, LEP, lack of eligibility for a library card, etc. Social implications The findings will be useful for libraries and state/federal health services to evaluate and develop library services suitable for the Hispanics’ consumer health information needs. Originality/value This study is one of a few studies that use an empirical study of a low health literacy ethnic population to examine the possible roles of public libraries in enhancing health literacy.

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A Question of Access: Exploring the Perceived Benefits and Barriers of Intelligent Voice Assistants for Improving Access to Consumer Health Resources Among Low-Income Older Adults

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine ◽

10.1177/2333721420985975 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 233372142098597

Author(s):

Phani Nallam ◽

Siddhant Bhandari ◽

Jamie Sanders ◽

Aqueasha Martin-Hammond

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Information ◽

Older Adult ◽

Low Income ◽

Health Resources ◽

Consumer Health Information ◽

Consumer Health ◽

Health And Wellness ◽

Similar System ◽

Improve Access

Intelligent voice assistants (IVAs) such as Amazon Echo and Google Home present a promising opportunity to improve access to consumer health information and resources for older adults. However, researchers know little about older adults’ opinions of using IVAs for these potentially critical tasks, particularly those with already limited access. In this paper, we explore older adults’ views about IVAs for consumer health and wellness information with the goal of better understanding what they envision as benefits and barriers of using such technology in the future. We shared an IVA prototype with ten older adults (60 years of age or older). We interviewed them about how a similar system might impact their access to consumer health information. Participants saw the potential for IVAs to improve their search experiences and support them with other health tasks. However, participants were also concerned about adopting an IVA for health due to access barriers, confidentiality risks, and concerns about receiving trusted information. Based on our findings, we discuss considerations for designing IVAs for underserved, older adult populations.

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Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge: a health literacy training partnership before and during COVID-19

Journal of the Medical Library Association JMLA ◽

10.5195/jmla.2021.1014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 109 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Antonio P. DeRosa ◽

Caroline Jedlicka ◽

Keith C. Mages ◽

Judy Carol Stribling

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Health Information ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Training Session ◽

Consumer Health Information ◽

Consumer Health ◽

Training Experience ◽

Literacy Training ◽

Public Librarians

Background: A request for consumer health information training for public librarians led to the development of a specialized consumer health reference and health literacy training program by professional consumer health librarians from an academic medical center. Professional consumer health librarians created an interactive presentation aimed at improving public librarians’ ability to respond to consumer health questions and provide vetted health resources.Case Presentation: Building on professional expertise, librarians at Weill Cornell Medicine developed a live class demonstration accompanied by a representative subject LibGuide to support public librarians who assist patrons with health questions. Skills involved in effectively communicating with patrons who are seeking consumer health information include conducting reference interviews, matching patrons’ needs with appropriate resources, teaching useful Internet search methods, assessing health information, and understanding health literacy issues. Originally envisioned as two in-person live demonstrations, the team proactively adapted the program to respond to the stay-at-home social-distancing order put in place in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Conclusions: The team successfully led an in-person live training session followed by an adapted online training experience, the latter designed to complete the curricula while complying with city and state orders.

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