Health Literacy Paper

Health literacy has been shown to have increased patient outcomes and plays an important role in keeping patients well informed in their overall health and any changes that may occur (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Working in the ER, many patients come in with a self-diagnosis based on symptoms they entered into a health based website. This can often be frustrating to the patient and the staff, especially when people are concerned that their diagnosis is much more in depth than it really is, causing them worry and anxiety. People are most likely to search on their own before seeking help from a professional, so nurses need to teach skills on how to choose credible websites and how to interpret the information found. With the increase in patient access to their electronic health records, nurses

also need to assist with online health education tool development to ensure ease of use for people with decreased health literacy (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015).
Johns Hopkins Medicine has helpful tips on their website on how to search for reliable online health information.

The site states to start with specific websites, such as MedlinePlus.gov or other government sites, instead of just searching the whole internet. The site also reports that commercial sites should be carefully considered for credibility and bias, information should be less than three years old, and author credentials, preferably someone with a degree in healthcare, should be displayed on the page. A reference guide for credible online health information can also be found on the site (Johns Hopkins Medicine, n.d.).

Nurses need to consider the patient’s access to technology, willingness to learn, cultural and language differences, and literacy level during health related teaching. A list of credible sites and apps, focusing on government sites, should be provided to patients to help with their search of online health information (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). So much information is available online that it is hard to distinguish what is credible and what is biased, so it is important for nurses and clinicians to guide the patients in the right direction.

References
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Finding reliable health information online. Retrieved from http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/johns_hopkins_bayview/patient_visitor_amenities/community_health_library/index.html
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2015). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.