ERIC Number: EJ845503
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0961-0006
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Health Information: Does Quality Count for the Consumer? How Consumers Evaluate the Quality of Health Information Materials across a Variety of Media
Marshall, Lyndsay A.; Williams, Dorothy
Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, v38 n3 p141-156 2006
An aspect of the information literacy of health information consumers is explored, in particular whether and how they evaluate the quality of health information on the Internet and in printed formats. A total of 32 members of patient support groups in North-East Scotland were recruited to take part in information review groups (a variation of focus group methodology) where discussion focused on a set of health information materials. Data analysis revealed 15 ways in which the participants evaluated quality. The two most important indicators of quality were organizational authority and the use of plain language. They did not find many of the indicators of evidence-based information. Participants demonstrated lack of confidence about their ability to select quality health information and relied on preselection by authoritative sources (libraries, support groups, health professionals) and distrusted the Internet. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Social Support Groups, Focus Groups, Health Personnel, Foreign Countries, Data Analysis, Information Literacy, Internet, Evaluation, Libraries, Information Seeking, Web Sites, Media Adaptation, Patients, Health Promotion
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom; United Kingdom (Scotland)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A