Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) Sponsorship Program Improves the Capacity of Public Library Staff to Provide Health Information to their Community

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kiscaden ◽  
Michele Spatz ◽  
Susan M Wolfe ◽  
Molly Knapp ◽  
Erica Lake
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
National Network ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Health Information Resources ◽  
The Impact

In 2018, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) launched a national sponsorship program to support U.S. library staff in obtaining the Medical Library Association (MLA) Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS). To evaluate the impact of the sponsorship program, staff developed and administered a 16-question assessment to 224 library staff sponsored in the first year of the program. The objective of this research project was to determine if 1) obtaining the specialization was successful in improving library staff ability to provide consumer health information, 2) sponsorship made obtaining the specialization possible, and 3) sponsorship resulted in recipients offering new health or wellness services, programming, or outreach activities at their library. The survey had a 61% response rate (n=136) and all respondents indicated that obtaining the specialization met their expectations. Over 80% of respondents reported an increase in knowledge of health information resources and over half offered new health information programs and services as a result of the sponsored training. Additionally, over 60% of respondents weeded or updated their library’s consumer health resources as a result of the training they received for the certificate. Respondents indicated that their intention to renew the CHIS certificate or obtain the more advanced, Level II specialization, was not certain. This research indicates that sponsorship of the certificate program was successful in increasing the capacity of public library staff to provide health information to their community.

scholarly journals Developing an Online Consumer Health Course for Public Library Staff

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kiscaden ◽  
Carolyn Martin ◽  
Bobbi Newman ◽  
Margot Malachowski
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
National Network ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Health Course ◽  
Midwest Region ◽  
Online Consumer ◽  
Library Staff

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Greater Midwest Region (NNLM GMR) received funding to support the evaluation and development of an asynchronous consumer health information course. Requirements of this project included: incorporating recommendations from NNLM instructors, National Library of Medicine staff and public library staff; piloting the revised course with a nationwide cohort; incorporating feedback from the pilot; and delivering a second instance of the revised course. The revised course meets existing requirements for public library certification and for Level 1 certification of the Medical Library Association’s Consumer Health Information Specialization.

scholarly journals An historical overview of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, 1985–2015

2018 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Speaker
Keyword(s):  
Health Resources ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
National Network ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Regional Medical ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Many ◽  
Health Information Resources

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), established as the Regional Medical Library Program in 1965, has a rich and remarkable history. The network’s first twenty years were documented in a detailed 1987 history by Alison Bunting, AHIP, FMLA. This article traces the major trends in the network’s development since then: reconceiving the Regional Medical Library staff as a “field force” for developing, marketing, and distributing a growing number of National Library of Medicine (NLM) products and services; subsequent expansion of outreach to health professionals who are unaffiliated with academic medical centers, particularly those in public health; the advent of the Internet during the 1990s, which brought the migration of NLM and NNLM resources and services to the World Wide Web, and a mandate to encourage and facilitate Internet connectivity in the network; and the further expansion of the NLM and NNLM mission to include providing consumer health resources to satisfy growing public demand. The concluding section discusses the many challenges that NNLM staff faced as they transformed the network from a system that served mainly academic medical researchers to a larger, denser organization that offers health information resources to everyone.

scholarly journals Cultivating a community of practice: the evolution of a health information specialists program for public librarians

2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shari Clifton ◽  
Phill Jo ◽  
Jean Marie Longo ◽  
Tara Malone
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Medical Library ◽  
Level I

Background: To help improve the culture of health in Oklahoma—a state that frequently ranks poorly on multiple measures of health and wellness—faculty librarians from an academic health sciences library sought to create a collaborative network of health information professionals in Oklahoma’s public libraries through the implementation of the Health Information Specialists Program.Case Presentation: Health sciences librarians offered a variety of consumer health information courses for public library staff across the state of Oklahoma for three years. Courses were approved by the Medical Library Association for credit toward the Consumer Health Information Specialization. A total of seventy-two participants from public libraries attended the courses, sixty-five achieved a Level I Consumer Health Information Specialization, and nine went on to achieve Level II.Conclusions: Feedback from participants in the Health Information Specialists Program has indicated a positive impact on the health information expertise of participants, who in turn have used the knowledge that they gained to help their patrons.

scholarly journals Consumer health information services in public libraries in Canada and the US

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Murray
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Information Services ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Us ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Health Information Resources

In response to a growing demand from the public for health information resources, North American public libraries have provided varying levels of consumer health information (CHI) services since the 1970s. Due to the availability of funding in the US, many American public libraries have provided CHI services, although the majority of these have been as partnerships with health sciences libraries or via the “Go Local” programs. In Canada, where no specific funding has been available for CHI services, few public libraries have set up CHI services; health information has generally been provided by augmenting health collections or “virtually,” i.e., by providing links to recommended electronic resources via the library’s Web site.

scholarly journals Brittle words: the impact of health information on patients' compliance with treatment

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (66) ◽  
pp. 60-64
Author(s):  
Andrew Hampson
Keyword(s):  
Postmenopausal Osteoporosis ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
The Impact

There are numerous benefits associated with the provision of consumer health information. A study was undertaken to investigate the impact of health information on patients' compliance with treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

scholarly journals Dietary and herbal supplements for weight loss: assessing the quality of patient information online

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Y. Ng ◽  
Saad Ahmed ◽  
Catherine Jiayi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Given the high prevalence of dietary and herbal supplement (DHS) use in tandem with the growing ease of internet access, patients commonly search online for consumer health information about these products. One common reason for DHSs use includes weight loss. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the quality of online information about DHSs for weight loss so they can adequately counsel their patients and provide them with guidance surrounding the identification of high-quality information resources. This study aimed to assess the quality of online DHSs consumer health information for weight loss that a “typical” patient might access online. Methods Six search terms were used to generate the first 20 websites on the Google search engine in four countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States (n = 480 websites). After applying exclusion criteria, eligible websites were quality assessed using the DISCERN instrument. This tool is comprised of 16 questions, each evaluated on a 5-point scale. The averages and standard deviations for each DISCERN instrument item, in addition to overall summed scores between 15 and 75 were calculated. Results Across 87 eligible websites, the mean summed score was 44.80 (SD = 11.53), while the mean overall DISCERN score of each website was 2.72 (SD = 0.99). In general, websites detailed and achieved their specified aims and described treatment benefits. However, most websites failed to describe the impact of treatment on overall quality of life and the impact of a no treatment option. The highest-scoring websites were largely government or health portal websites, while the lowest-scoring websites were largely commercial in nature. Conclusion High variability in DISCERN instrument scores was found across all websites assessed. Healthcare providers should be aware of the fact that their patients may be accessing misinformation online surrounding the use of DHSs for weight loss. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to ensure that they are providing their patients with guidance on how to identify high-quality resources online, in order that safe, effective, and evidence-based decisions are made surrounding the use of DHSs for weight loss.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document