Providing high quality health information for students Challenges and solutions

1. Providing high quality health information for studentsChallenges and solutions Knut Schroeder Student Health Association Conference Bristol 3 July 2014

2. Interest in health literacy & self care in young people • GP, Concord Medical Centre • Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, UoB • Board Member, Self Care Forum • Founder & Director, Expert Self Care

3. Mission: Improve student health through information • Share passion for: • Quality health information • Health literacy & self care • Making more informed decisions about health • Discuss and learn about: • Good practice • Tips &ideas • Resources

4. Over the next hour… • 3 x 5-10 minsshort presentations(KS) • 3 x 10 minsdiscussions(all) • Notes on flip chart or paper (all) • Ideas on post its (all) • Plan for future (all) • Then… Email summary

5. What we’ll cover… • Why do we need good quality health information? • What is good quality health information? • How can we provide it?

6. 1 Why do we need good quality health information?

7. Health literacy “Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate healthdecisions” I’ve missed my pill – what should I do? My foot hurts – should I see my GP? I always feel low – am I going mad?

8. Making more informed decisions

9. Health problems in students

10. Accessing health services • Getting confused and anxious by ‘Dr Google’ • Pressure on GP appointments and A&E attendances

11. Overview of research Patient Information Forum Report 2014 “Providing information to patients improves outcomes, reduces costs and gives people a better experience of care.” www.pifonline.org.uk

12. Health Literacy “People cannot achieve their fullest health potential unless they are able to take control of those things which determine their health.” http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/190655/e96854.pdf

13. RCGP Health literacy workshop • GPs have a central role in… • “…supporting patients to develop health literacy skills, both in understanding and usinghealthinformation(…)” • “…tailoring information not only to clinical need but also to patient health literacy.” http://www.rcgp.org.uk/news/2014/june/~/media/Files/Policy/RCGP-Health-Literacy-2014.ashx June 2014

14. Need for action: “There is a growing research evidence base that when informed, confident patients work in genuine partnership with healthcare professionals the result is better decisions and better  care. Yet information is still not seen as a fundamental part of the service.” Jeremy Taylor, Chief Executive, National Voices

15. What students told us…

16. The bottom line… “Students want and need good quality health information.” Take a look at PIF report on ‘Making the case for information’. Available at www.pifonline.org.uk

17. Questions • What are the mainhealth issues for your students? • What health information needsdo they have?

18. 2 What is goodquality health information?

19. Gold standard The Information Standard www.theinformationstandard.org.uk

21. Examples • http://www.theinformationstandard.org/members/members-list • NHS Choices – student pages • Patient.co.uk • BEAT – Eating Disorders • Asthma UK • British Association of Dermatologists • North Bristol NHS Trust • Youth health talk

22. NHS Choices

23. Patient UK

24. BEAT – eating disorders

25. Youth health talk

26. Bristol Students’ Health Service

27. The bottom line… Much high quality health information is already available Information is spread over many sites and can be difficult to find Check out The Information Standard and list of approved information providers at www.theinformationstandard.org

28. Questions • What information do you provide in your setting? • What other useful resources are you aware of?

29. 3How can we provide quality health information?

30. Developing health information • Information strategy • Write a project brief • Find out what’s out there • Involve users • Appraise Evidence • Clinical Knowledge Summaries • NICE • Cochrane • Involve experts • Charities • Style & Writing • Use guidance from The Information Standard

31. Ways to provide health info to students

32. Why apps? • On your mobile • Private • Fast access, anywhere • Easy to use • Cheap/free • Easy to update

33. Apps

34. New student health app

35. Useful resources & contacts • Patient Information Forum– http://www.pifonline.org.uk/ • Self care forum - http://www.selfcareforum.org/ • The Information Standard - http://www.theinformationstandard.org/ • Society of Academic Primary Care Health Literacy Group - http://www.healthliteracy.org.uk/

36. The bottom line… • Involve students in producing and disseminating information • Use media that are right for your setting Think about how you can involve students in your information strategy

37. Questions • How can you improve healthinformation provision in your practice? • Do you want to continue sharing ideas? • Email list? • Facebook? • Twitter? • Website? Contact: k.schroeder@bristol.ac.uk