How do we overcome challenges in providing high quality online information on common health conditions and healthy lifestyles for patients and whānau in New Zealand?
"An important element of negotiating life with a chronic illness, for many, is seeking out information which can be used to come to a greater understanding of one’s changed or changing body and possible treatment options"
The internet has increasingly become the key source of information about health. It has been consistently advocated by many researchers that web-based health information can change behaviour, improve adherence to treatment, reduce health risks, increase satisfaction with care, reach peers in real time, improve health outcomes, and facilitate shared decision-making between patients and healthcare professionals. Disseminating health and medical information on the internet has the potential to improve knowledge transfer from health professionals to consumers. Yet, concerns remain about the potential adverse effects of patients using independently retrieved web-based health information. The more people access the internet for health information, the more concern for quality will continue to grow.
The complexity of our health system, services and information, along with the many health conditions people experience over a lifetime, means every person will have health literacy needs at some point. These needs could be new and significant because of a recent diagnosis, treatment or health service; or ongoing and complex when managing the progression of a long-term health condition.
Low health literacy contributes significantly to health disparities. However, improving health literacy is about more than enhancing the readability of information. It is about building the skills and knowledge of individuals, whānau and communities so that they can evaluate, synthesise and act on the information they receive, to improve their health outcomes. One cannot predict or make assumptions about who will have health literacy needs and who will not. People’s understanding of their health is determined by many things including experiences, priorities, interests, stress levels, resources, guidance and the quality of information and communication people have received in the past. Health literacy is not determined by intelligence or income status.
Literature reports have found suboptimal quality across various medical specialties suggesting a major gap in evidence-based online information. In addition to improving internet access and improving the readability of online health information, improving the quality of information should be a priority for policymakers as well as private and public organisations.
Partnerships of academic institutions and governmental agencies are needed to establish quality standards and develop a monitoring system for online health information producers to reduce healthcare waste and improve health outcomes.