A presentation meant to spur discussion about the issues surrounding consumer health information provision in public libraries. Presented in UNC SILS Seminar in Public Libraries (INLS 843).

1. Consumer
Health and the
Public Library
Issues for Consideration
Lisa Philpotts
INLS 843
UNC School of Information and Library Science

2. The Demand for Health Information

3. The Demand for Health Information

4. The emand for Health Information
Health
Information!

5. The Demand for Health Information
• Decreased continuity of care
• Health providers have less time
• Personal responsibility
• Preventative care movement
• Patient activists
• Aging baby boomers
• Medicine in the media
• Technological advances
• Online health info

6. The Demand for Health Information
80% of American Internet users over the age of 18 have gone online to search
for health information at least once.
25% of health info seekers felt overwhelmed by the amount of online
information
75% of health info seekers report checking the source and date “only
sometimes,” “hardly ever,” or “never.”
(Fox, 2006)

7. Health Literacy
the ability to read, understand, and act
on health information
the ability to understand basic health care
communications, such as prescription
instructions and insurance forms
90 million people
in the US have difficulty understanding and using health
information
(Institute of Medicine,
2004)

8. Sources of Health Information
•Primary care provider
•Pharmacies
•Clinics and non-profits
•Family and friends
•Internet
•Mass media
•Support groups
•Schools
•Medical libraries
•Public libraries

9. How does the public library/public librarian fit in?
Where does consumer health fit into our mission?
What do we have to offer?

10. Inquiries about health are unavoidable..
One of the top-five or top-ten topics of interest to
patrons.
Up to 20% of total reference requests (Wood et al.,
2000)
Problems with providing
health information?
What to do about them?

11. Collection Development

12. Legal Liability
HIPAA

13. Legal Liability
“Our research has not uncovered a single case in
Canada, the United States, or Great Britain in which a
librarian has been sued for providing negligent
information. That it has not yet happened, however,
does not mean that it will not happen.”
(Sutherland & Gibson, 2007)

14. Different Viewpoints
a solution to privacy issues:
the appropriate role for the public
library is not to answer any
consumer health information
questions at all

15. Different Viewpoints
When asked whether she had a list of community agencies to which
to refer users, this respondent replied:
"I don't have a list. Just because if they need that kind of a list,
then they need to talk to their doctor. I'm not here to, um, play
doctor. And their doctor will give them a good current list. It's
not something that I've had a need to know."
(Borman & McKenzie, 2005)

16. Different Viewpoints
People come to the library, it's nonjudgmental. They can get basic
information that puts them in touch with the right person. There really
are not a lot of walk-in places for information in rural areas, which
is why the library is all-important. It's one of those places that, uh,
community places.... It's a welcoming place, and we have a lot of people
that come in just because it's a place to come to. And that is one of the
things that we, as a library, try to encourage. We want people to be
comfortable here.... And the same thing with the mental health
information and the consumer information, any information; a rural
library provides a very unique service and we have to be approachable….
(Borman & McKenzie, 2005)

17. Health Programming

18. More Health Programming: In Pictures
 Corona Library Take a Hike! Health and Fitness
Expo
 Dogwood Library Health Expo
 A special National Childrens’ Dental Health
Month storytime at the Oak Grove Public Library

19. Displays
Displays by San Antonio Public Library CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

20. Partnerships and
Health Spaces
Photos by http://www.flickr.com/photos/topekalibrary/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

21. References
Borman, C. B., & McKenzie, P. J. (2005). Trying to help without getting in
their faces public library staff descriptions of providing consumer health
information. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 45(2), 133-136, 140-
146.
Fox, S. (2006). Online Health Search 2006. Pew Internet & American Life
Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/Online-
Health-Search-2006.aspx
Institute of Medicine. Health literacy [electronic resource] : A prescription to
end confusion (2004). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
Sutherland, J., & Gibson, E. (2007). Guiding patrons to online health
information: Can librarians be found liable? Canadian Journal of
Information and Library Science, 31(2), 179-196.
Wood, F. B., Lyon, B., Schell, M. B., Kitendaugh, P., Cid, V. H., & Siegel, E.
R. (2000). Public library consumer health information pilot project: Results
of a national library of medicine evaluation. Bulletin of the Medical Library
Association, 88(4), 314-322.