Patient Guide to World Wide Web

Patient Guide to WWW

Armon Copeland

361: Information Systems

Summer Term 2011

Introduction

The Internet literature provides patients and families with an opportunity they have never had

before.   It allows patients to have access to incredibly affluent, reliable and up-to-date medical

information.   Not too long ago this information could only be found in medical libraries and

bookstores.

Today, patient and families have access to this information in the comfort and privacy of their

own dwelling. It is the nurse responsibility to foster this thirst for information and help guide our

patients to find information that is reliable and reputable.

Patient Education

“There is a great deal of information directed at patients on the Web.

What is most important is finding information that is reliable and consistent with best practice

and standards of care.

For the purpose of discussion, the educational tools are separated into four types:

Handouts:   These are self-contained documents that are complete unto themselves.

Good for handing to a patient in their room.

Hyper-linked documents:   These are pages that are cross-linked with other resources that allow

the patient to explore and find more information that fits their personal needs and is best viewed

on-line.

Decision support:   These tools allow a person to obtain information about an important decision

and to assess how their own personal beliefs influence their decision.

Evaluative:   Allow the patient to assess their own health risks and is generally interactive and

best done on-line for immediate feedback (Kleebreg 2000).”

How to use the Internet

Printing information handouts for patients who want to know more about their diagnosis.

Finding patient information sheets about a medication when grabbing a sample from the cabinet.

Direct the patient to the internet site Medformation.com or some other reliable web sites where

they can... [continues]

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