Title: Health Literacy Training for Healthy Start Participants
Authors: Mears, Kimberly
Abstract: Objective
The Healthy Start Program aims to improve the adequacy of prenatal care and patient education to high-risk populations experiencing a significantly higher percentage of infant deaths within the first year of life. This project describes the partnership between a librarian and a Healthy Start program to provide nurses, case managers, and community members with training on accessing and evaluating health information resources.
Method
The director of the Healthy Start program identified the need for training on accessing reliable, evidence-based health information and partnered with a librarian to provide the training. The librarian received a National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/Atlantic Region training award to provide print materials and equipment necessary to complete the training. The librarian adapted curriculum from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and offered the training session twice at bi-annual consortium meetings for the Healthy Start program. Assessment of the training sessions were completed through pre and posttests and instructor evaluations. The librarian and director also completed necessary paperwork to qualify the training sessions for Georgia Nurses Association Continuing Education credit for all nurses in attendance.
Results
Attendance at both of the instruction sessions totaled 28 participants. 54% (n = 16) of participants completed the pre and posttests. Comparison between the pre and posttest scores indicate an increase in knowledge regarding reliable sources of evidence-based nursing resources and the ability to identify and evaluate health information found online. Verbal feedback from the participants indicated satisfaction with the course.
Conclusions
Partnerships between librarians and community programs can support the efforts of healthcare professional to increase their information literacy skills, potentially resulting in improved health care for their clients and community. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00004-C with the University of Maryland Baltimore.
Description: Presented at the 2015 Medical Library Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition