The Canny Consumer Resources for Consumer Health Decision-Making

							                                   The Canny
                                   Consumer:
                                  Resources for
                                 Consumer Health
                                 Decision-Making
                      TERRI OTTOSEN
C O N S U M E R H E A LT H O U T R E A C H C O O R D I N AT O R
     N AT I O N A L N E T W O R K O F L I B R A R I E S O F
                           MEDICINE
        S O U T H E A S T E R N AT L A N T I C R E G I O N
                         Agenda

 Choosing a Physician, Hospital
 Talking to Your Doctor
 Health Insurance
 Electronic Health Records (EMRs) and Personal Health
    Records (PHRs)
   Wellness and Nutrition
   Patient Safety
   Health 2.0 Tools
   Evaluation of Health Information on the Web
   Finding Evidence/Research
   General Knowledge and FYI
          Choosing a Physician/Hospital

 Directories:


    American Medical Association Doctor Finder
    American Board of Medical Specialties
    Federation of State Medical Boards
    American Hospital Directory
    U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: Hospital Compare
    HospitalLink
    Joint Commission Quality Check
    National Association for Home Care
          Choosing a Physician/Hospital

 Books/Reports


    America’s Top Doctors – available on Google Books (2004)
     and more recent editions in libraries
    AHA Guide to the Health Care Field – available in medical
     libraries and some larger public libraries
    U.S. News and World Report: Best Hospitals Annual Ratings
           Choosing a Physician/Hospital

 Advice


    Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):
     Choosing a Doctor
    Wikipedia: Difference Between MD and Osteopath
                Talking to Your Doctor

 Websites


    MedlinePlus Health Topic: Talking with Your Doctor
    AskMe3
    Harvard Guide: When You Visit Your Doctor
    NIA: Talking with Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People
    American College of Surgeons: Giving Your Informed Consent
                 Talking to Your Doctor

 Videos/Audio


    Following the Clues: A Visit to the Doctor and Library

    5 Things Women Must Share with their Doctor

    Getting Involved for Better Health Care

    Questions are the Answer

    Issue of Health Literacy: American College of Physicians
              Study Examples: Medication

 Warning Label = Do Not Chew or Crush, Swallow
  Whole
     Misinterpretations = Chew it up, so it will dissolve
     Don’t swallow whole or you might choke
 Warning Label = For External Use Only
   Misinterpretations = Medicine will make you feel dizzy
   Use extreme caution in how you take it

 Warning Label = Medication Should be Taken with
  Plenty of Water
     Misinterpretations = Don’t take when wet
     Don’t drink hot water
                  Health Insurance

 Health Insurance Resource Center (insurance
    terms/glossary)
   Questions and Answers About Health Insurance:
    AHRQ
   AHRQ: Checkup on Health Insurance Choices
   Georgetown Univ. Health Policy Institute: Consumer
    Guide for Getting and Keeping Health Insurance
    (each state)
   American Academy of Family Physicians: Health
    Insurance: Understanding What it Covers
                Health Insurance

 AAFP: Health Insurance: Understanding Your
  Health Plan’s Rules
 U.S. Dept. of Labor: Consumer Health Plan Info
 National Association of Health Underwriters: Health
  Coverage Options Database

 Medicare
 Medicaid and Uninsured: Medicare Part D
  Health Insurance: Disputes and Appeals

 Patient Advocate Foundation


 Kaiser Family Foundation: Handling Health Plan
 Disputes
                     EMRs and PHRs

 MLA/NLM Task Force
   Definition: Electronic personal health record (PHR) – a
    private, secure application through which an individual may
    access, manage and share his health information. The PHR can
    include information that is entered by the consumer and/or data
    from other sources such as pharmacies, labs, and care providers.
    The PHR might or might not include information from the
    electronic health record (EHR) which is maintained by the health
    care provider and is not synonymous with the EHR. PHR sponsors
    include vendors who may or may not charge a fee, health care
    organizations such as hospitals, health insurance companies, or
    employers.
               MLA/NLM Task Force

 Assistance Statement:
 For quality health information, connect to National Library of
 Medicine’s MedlinePlus for patients, families, and the public
 http://medlineplus.gov/, Resources for Health Consumers
 http://www.mlanet.org/resources/consumr_index.html or a
 Top 100 List ranked by medical librarians
 http://caphis.mlanet.org/consumer/.

 Medical librarians can help you find other health information.
 To find a medical librarian near you, call 1-800-338-7657 or
 view http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/libraries.html.
 Librarians will not provide personal medical advice, but they
 will find trusted information about drugs, conditions,
 procedures, lab tests and other health topics.
EMRs and PHRs
                EMRs and PHRs



 MedlinePlus Health Topic: Personal Medical
  Records
 AHIMA: PHR Tools and Services
 AMIA: EMR National Initiative
 Importance of Keeping a Personal Health Record
   Getting a Copy of Your Medical Records



 Sample Request Letter
 Federal Medical Facility Right to Records (Federal
 Privacy Act of 1974)

 File a Complaint with U.S. Dept. of Health and
 Human Services Office of Civil Rights
        Some Prominent EHRs/PHRs


 iHealthRecord


 Google Health


 Microsoft’s HealthVault


 MyHealthFolders.com
             Wellness and Nutrition


 MedlinePlus Health Check-up Checklist
 Screenings: Healthfinder.gov
 Screening Tests for Men (AHRQ)
 Screening Tests for Women
 U.S.D.A. MyPyramid
 Nutrition.gov
 American Dietetic Association: Eat Right (with
 evidence and analysis)
             Wellness and Nutrition



 Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary
  Guidelines
 Wellness Information Zone: Libraries for the Future
  and the Humana Foundation
 “Real Men Wear Gowns”
             Are You Body Literate?



 Red Light Warning Signals


 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2007
 National Healthcare Disparities Report

 Survey Information
          Informed Consumer Guides

 Dr. Clancy’s Guides
                   Patient Safety



 Medical errors can occur anywhere in the health care
 system and can involve:
    Medicines
    Surgery
    Diagnosis
    Equipment
    Lab reports
            Patient Safety Resources


 20 Tips to Prevent Medical Errors


 Patient Safety Primers and Patient Safety Network


 Patient Safety Tools


 VCU: Patient Safety Resources
       Informed Health Care Decisions

 Center for Information Therapy
 Shared Decision-Making Aids (special issue of
  journal: Medical Decision Making)
 Healthcare 411 Podcasts
 PatientInform
 Society for Medical Decision Making
                      Health 2.0 Tools

 Personal Health Information Platforms
 Example in handout: Google Health vs. Microsoft
  HealthVault
 Challenges:
    Gaining consumer trust
    Use of carrots or sticks in working with complementors?
    Carrots or sticks to extract data from health care institutions?
    Growing the overall size of the network
    Adding useful applications
    Bottom line: more similarities than differences but platforms
     are flexible and will evolve…
                      Health 2.0

 MySpace: Juvenile Diabetes


 Flickr: All Over but the Suffering


 YouTube: Videos of Health Care Experiences


 Skin Cancer Top 50 Blog: Dooce


 Social Networking for Health: Trusera
                     Health 2.0

 Medpedia
 Wikipedia Example: Asthma
 Center for Information Therapy
 CIT: Blog
 Patients Like Me
 David Rothman’s list of medical wikis


 Report: Expanding the Reach and Impact of
 Consumer e-Health Tools, June 2006
        Evaluation of Health Websites



 MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing
 Evaluating Internet Health Information: Tutorial
  from NLM
 NCI: Is This News Story True?
 FTC/FDA: How to Spot False Claims
 Evaluation of Websites: Patient 101
         Evaluation of Health Websites



 DISCERN Instrument: Evaluating Consumer Health
  Information
 Full Frontal Scrutiny
 Center for Medicine in the Public Interest
 Center Report on Insta-Americans
        Finding Evidence and Research

 Critical Appraisal
        Finding Evidence and Research

 UNC: Critical Appraisal
 NIH: Research Results for the Public
 NIH (OPASI): The Research, Condition and Disease
  Categorization (RCDC), i.e. what NIH is funding,
  progress of diseases, conditions, etc.
 Webwatch Guidelines
 Health Ratings
 Healthy People Library Project
               Health Search Engines

 Kosmix
 Healthline
 Vimo
 Hakia
 Medstory
 Healia
         Exercise



        Thank You!

        Terri Ottosen
tottosen@hshsl.umaryland.edu
        800-338-7657