Open AccessUsing a customized search engine to address low health literacy: a program description
Author(s) -
Eva Jurczyk
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the journal of the canadian health libraries association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.159
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1708-6892
DOI - 10.5596/c2012-015
Subject(s) - health literacy , frame (networking) , health care , health information , quality (philosophy) , public relations , information literacy , information system , computer science , hrhis , world wide web , business , internet privacy , knowledge management , health education , political science , telecommunications , philosophy , epistemology , law
In the provision of health information, it is the structure as much as the content of an information source that can influence a patient's ability to understand and act upon medical guidance. Canada has a commitment to providing equal, quality health care to all citizens, but a barrier to this equality has emerged as health information has gone online. This paper discusses the online information retrieval system in a patient library in a Canadian hospital, the barrier that this system created in connecting patients with health information, and how resources were reorganized to more equitably meet the needs of patients. The example of one information retrieval system provides a new frame through which to evaluate the organization of electronic information in health care settings.