Health Literacy - Making Sense of Online Health Information

                        

Increasingly, health information is accessed via the internet, but a number of barriers prevent consumers making effective use of it. These barriers include inadequate skills to search, evaluate and use the information. It has not yet been demonstrated whether training consumers to use the internet for health information can result in positive health outcomes.  

People with low health literacy typically:

–Fail to seek preventive care

–Are less likely to follow treatment plans

–Have increased rates of hospitalization and use of emergency services

–Have difficulty understanding written and oral communication

–Stay in the hospital longer than someone with higher health literacy

There are thousands of health-related websites on the Internet. Some of the information on these websites is reliable. Some of it is not. Some of the information is current. Some of it is not. Choosing which website to trust is worth thinking about.

Some questions you may ask:

1. How do I find reliable health information online?

2. Who sponsors the website? Can you easily identify the sponsor?

3. Who wrote the information?

4. Who reviews the information? Does the website have an editorial board?

5. When was the information written?

Use your common sense and good judgment when evaluating health information online. There are websites on nearly every conceivable health topic and no rules overseeing the quality of the information. Take a deep breath and think a bit before acting on any health information you find on the web. Don't count on any one website. If possible, check with several sources to confirm the accuracy of your results. And remember to talk with your doctor.

Healthwise - Reinforce care with targeted print and email materials

Healthwise^® Care Support Pages provide essential follow-up information for your care and disease management interventions. These engaging, easy-to-understand materials offer targeted information on hundreds of health issues ranging from wellness to prevention to chronic conditions.

Deliver effective health education in the right doses

Healthwise Care Support Pages are 1-page, 2-sided, full-color follow-up resources for people who need information after talking with a health coach.

Using plain, straightforward language and engaging illustrations, Care Support Pages help people understand the information the first time they read it. They’re action-oriented, answering “how” questions: How do I do a finger-stick test for diabetes? How do I manage my high blood pressure? How can I eat right and lose weight?

Member mailings cover hundreds of topics, on everything from asthma to osteoarthritis. But each one focuses on the care information that people need to know for their specific issue.

Connect and reinforce to improve health outcomes

Deliver the information your members need to manage their health. Prescribe Care Support Pages to your members through online delivery or with short, economical printouts. Provide these member mailings for:

• Follow-up to triage to reinforce information covered during the call.
• Care and disease management interventions to support self-management and prevent complications.
• Each step in your care plans to improve people’s health and well-being.

To tie Care Support Pages to your other programs and initiatives, you can customize these mailings with your own branding and messages.

Developed with your needs in mind

Healthwise develops Care Support Pages in close collaboration with care and disease management organizations, to ensure that they provide just the right information to improve outcomes.

As part of our Care Management Solution, relevant Care Support Pages are connected to the content and tools used by health coaches while on the phone. It’s easy for health coaches to select print or electronic fulfillments, so delivering education is more efficient and cost-effective than ever before.

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Demo NowReinforce the education your members get from your care management programs and call center interventions—with Healthwise Care Support Pages.