Author Archives: Isto

New HIBA publications

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HIBA research group has published new results from the project during the past months.

Huvila, I., Hirvonen, N., Enwald, H., & Åhlfelt, R.-M. (2019). Differences in Health Information Literacy Competencies Among Older Adults, Elderly and Younger Citizens. In Kurbanoğlu, S.; Špiranec, S.; Ünal, Y.; Boustany, J.; Huotari, M. L.; Grassian, E.; Mizrachi, D. & Roy, L. (Ed.), Information Literacy in Everyday Life. ECIL 2018. Communications in Computer and Information Science(pp. 136–143). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13472-313. Open access post-print of the article.

Abstract: To address the research gap on age-based differences in health information literacy (HIL), we investigated how younger (born 1960-) and older adults (1946-1960), and elderly citizens (-1945) differed from each other by their HIL competencies. Data were collected with an online survey of patients using the Swedish national electronic health record system. Altogether, 2,587 users responded. One-way ANOVA with post hoc tests revealed several differences between the groups: younger adults were less likely to value health information than older adults; older adults and elderly were least likely to compare information from multiple sources and had trouble in determining health information needs; older adults were most likely to have trouble understanding health terminology and the elderly to have difficulties in understanding medicinal package labels. The study shows that HIL is not necessarily improving or declining but adapting to challenges of advanced age.

Huvila, I.; Moll, J.; Enwald, H.; Hirvonen, N.; Åhlfeldt, R.-M. & Cajander, Å. (2019) Age-related differences in seeking clarification to understand medical record information. Information Research, 24(1), paper isic1834. Open access.

Abstract: Introduction Patient accessible electronic health records can be used to inform and empower patients. However, their use may require complementary information seeking since they can be difficult to interpret. So far, relatively little is known of the information seeking that takes place in connection to health record use, and especially the way it varies in different age groups. A better understanding of patients’ preferences of where and how to find explanatory information provides valuable input for the development of health information provision and counselling services.
Method. The analysis is based on the results of a national survey of Swedish individuals (N=1,411) who had used a national patient accessible electronic health record system (Journalen).
Analysis. The data were analysed in SPSS 24.0 using Kruskal-Wallis tests for detecting group-wise differences and Jonckheere-Terpstra tests for discovering age-related trends in the data.
Findings. Older patients were more likely to use a telephone and younger patients to use social contacts to ask for clarification. Generally, older adults born between 1946-1960 appear as passive information seekers.
Conclusion. Age groups differ in their preferences on how to seek clarification, which underlines the importance of a better understanding of individual differences in delivering not only technically but also intellectually accessible health information. Calling by telephone could be a habit of present older generations whereas, to a degree, searching information online could be a comparable habit of current younger generations.

HIBA at the Finnish Information Studies Symposium 2018

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HIBA project is organising a session on health information at the Finnish national Information Studies Symposium 2018 in Turku/Åbo Finland with two papers presenting the findings from the project. Links to extended abstracts of all presentations can be found below.

Hälsoinformation och e-hälsa / Terveystieto ja e-terveys / Health
information and e-health

Anticipating ageing

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A new article Anticipating ageing: Older adults reading their medical records (full-text for subscribers) on older adults perceptions of reading their medical record and using e-health services, written in collaboration between HIBA project and researchers of Swedish DOME Consortium has been published in Information Processing & Management. A post-print version of the article can be found at http://www.istohuvila.se/node/560

Abstract

In spite of the general interest in health information behaviour, there is little earlier research on how older adults, who are still active in working life but approaching retirement, differ from other age groups. A survey with Swedish patients who had ordered and read their medical record was conducted to map the preferences and motivations of older adults (born 1946-1960) ordering a copy of their medical record, and using medical records based e-health and information services in the future. The results do not indicate an obvious linear relationship between age and motivation to use online health information but show several differences between the age groups. Older adults were less interested in communication with their medical doctor by e-mail. Yet, they had searched health information in the Internet during the last week more likely than young. They were more inclined to read medical record to get an overview of their health than young, but less confident that they understood most of the content or turn to their family and friends to seek help than the elderly. When compared to younger adults and elderly people, older adults are the least confident and least motivated to use online health information. It is suggested that older adulthood can be seen as a transitory stage of life when the need of health information increases and engagement with health changes. The results agree with prior research on the potential usefulness of (online) medical records as a way to inform citizens. However, specific provision strategies may be necessary to match the needs and motivations of different age groups.

Osallistu terveysriskitestejä koskevaan tutkimukseen!

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HIBA-projekti selvittää kokemuksia e-terveyspalveluista. Nyt käynnissä olevassa tutkimuksessa selvitetään riskitestipalvelujen käyttöön liittyviä kysymyksiä.

Vastaamalla kyselyyn voit auttaa e-terveyspalveluiden kehittämistä. Kyselyn vastaukset käsitellään luottamuksellisesti, ja ne tulevat ainoastaan tutkimuskäyttöön. Vastaukset eivät sisällä henkilökohtaista tietoa ja niitä käsitellään siten, että yksittäiset henkilöt eivät ole tunnistettavissa.

Jos et ole käyttänyt ennen Diabetesliiton diabetes-riskitestiä, tee testi ennen kyselyyn vastaamista.

Vastaa tutkimuskyselyyn tästä.

Current research in health information literacy research

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Isto, Noora and Heidi from HIBA project participated in the 5th European Conference in Information Literacy in Saint-Malo, France. All were a part of the Health Information Literacy Special Session organised by Anne-Kathrin Mayer (ZIPD, Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information) and Maija-Leena Huotari (University of Oulu).

In the session, Veronika Kuhberg-Lasson (ZIPD) discussed the health information literacy knowledge (HILK) of students from vocational schools in Germany. According to the study, lower education lead to lower HILK with no significant differences between vocations. However, when tested for personality differences, the authors suggested that instead of the level of education, the use of untrustworthy information sources might be related to higher levels of extraversion.

Heidi presented a paper on the Relationship between Everyday Health Information Literacy and Attitudes towards Mobile Technology among Older People, a cooperation between researchers participating in the HIBA project, Oulu Deaconess Institute and the University of Oulu. The study investigated how everyday health information literacy (EHIL) was related to the use of traditional and advanced mobile information technologies, and how older adults felt about the use of advanced mobile technologies (i.e. smart phones, tablet computers). Regarding their EHIL, only 28% felt that it is easy to access reliable health information from the Internet. A minority had used advanced mobile information technologies, but the attitudes in the group of respondents were generally rather positive. The findings showed that confidence and positive opinions on EHIL had more positive opinions on mobile information technology. The study suggests that older adults with different levels of EHIL should be engaged in the development of new mobile information technologies.

Noora presented a paper related to EHIL together with Teija Keränen and Maija-Leena Huotari titled Examining the Applicability of the Everyday Health Information Literacy Screening Tool in the Context of Energy. In the study, The factorial structure of the EHIL screening tool modified for energy information was similar to the original tool. The tool can be used to find individuals who lack motivation or have difficulties in finding or evaluating information.

Anna-Maija Huhta (University of Oulu), who has previously worked in HIBA project, presented a co-authored paper Concepts Related to Health Literacy in Online Information Environments: A Systematic Review. Huhta and her colleagues had conducted a review of how information is approached in various health related literacy concepts. Majority of the analysed texts were written in medical and health sciences. The most common concepts were health literacy, ehealth literacy, health information literacy, and (everyday) health information literacy. Similar to all definitions was that all focussed on the ability to understand, comprehend and use information but also to use information as a tool. Differences related to the role of prior knowledge, information needs, critical evaluation of information and types of information considered.

Sigríður Björk Einarsdóttir and Ágústa Pálsdóttir had investigated the health information literacy of parents of children with a disability or long-term illness using qualitative interview study. The authors conclusion was that information seeking takes time and especially with information that should be easily available, takes time and effort.

Finally, Anne-Kathrin Mayer (presented by Veronika Kuhberg-Lasson) investigated the different approaches to measuring information literacy skills. The authors had found discrepancies between objective and subjective measures, and suggested further research on their causes and relations to other factors.

As a whole, the presentations show that it is not uncomplicated to measure and study health information literacy and to say what should be measured and how. Appropriate practices, confidence and good outcomes depend on multiple factors — as their lack of. At the same time, it seems that it is possible to develop scales that can be useful as proxies of certain constellations of practices to understand better how people interact with health information.

2017-09-20 at 2 58 pm: Sheila Webber live blogged the session at http://information-literacy.blogspot.se/2017/09/health-information-literacy-session-pam.html

New article: Taking Health Information Behaviour into Account in the design of e-health services

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The HIBA project approach and rationale for studying health information behaviour and health information literacy as a premise of developing successful e-health services is discussed in a new article just published in the Finnish Journal for eHealth and eWelfare vol 8, issue 4.

Abstract

The aim of this article is to bring forward the benefits of a better integration of a comprehensive understanding of individuals information behaviour in the design and development of e-health services. This study is a descriptive review based on a non-exhaustive selection of literature that describes the state-of-the-art, problems and opportunities identified in e-health, health information behaviour and health information literacy research. By focusing on how to tailor the information provided and the technological devices to fit the information behaviour, the approach has also potential to uncover new insights into how to adequately implement and integrate ICTs into everyday life practices of other hard-to-reach groups in society. We presuppose that it will be possible to give practical recommendations based on a combined understanding of individual differences in health information behaviour and users expectations and experiences, acquired through empirical studies focusing on older adults. Moreover, the usefulness of health information literacy as an indicator of the patterns and competences related to health information behaviour is highlighted.

Full text of the article at FinJeHeW site.

Focus on health information behaviour

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IMG_9067_Isto_HIBA

Heidi, Noora and Isto from HIBA participated in this year’s ISIC – The Information Behaviour Conference in Zadar, Croatia. Also Anna-Maija who worked in the project in autumn 2015 was with us in Zadar.

Heidi Enwald, foto: Mate Juric

Heidi reported findings from an earlier GASEL project in a paper titled Health information behaviour, attitudes towards health information and motivating factors for physical activity among older people: differences by sex and age together with coauthors, Noora  and her coauthors presented a poster Validating the factorial structure of the everyday health information literacy screening tool in three different populations, and we all from HIBA presented the project in a poster, imaginatively titled Taking health information behaviour into account in the development of e-health services.

IMG_8904_Ian

Prof. Ian Ruthwen

There were also several other interesting papers relating directly to the themes of HIBA. Prof. Ian Ruthwen discussed in his opening keynote information behaviour during significant life events. The talk gave much food for thought as health related events are a major category of these types of major episodes in life but also because it is not always the case. Much of the everyday health and health information practices are not experienced as significant events that apparently also affects how we react to them and what kinds of information practices stem from these mundane events and how they differ from more significant episodes of life.

Of other interesting papers, you could mention the two other papers in Heidi’s session. Ina Fourie and Valerie Nesset reported of an exploratory review of research on cancer pain and information-related needs, and Theresa Anderson and Ina Fourie discussed about information interactions related to empathetic care for the dying.

Seminaari: Health Information and eServices 

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Informaatiotutkimuksen yhdistyksen (ITY ry) kevätseminaari

KE 11.5.2016, klo 9.15-13.30 Oulun yliopisto, TellUs Innovation Arena, Stage-tila

Seminaari järjestetään yhteistyössä Åbo Akademin HIBA-hankkeen ja Oulun yliopiston Informaatiotutkimuksen oppiaineen kanssa. Tilaisuuteen on vapaa pääsy, myös muille kuin ITY:n jäsenille, ei etukäteisilmoittautumista. Tilaisuutta voi seurata myös etänä (ilmoita tästä kiinnostuksesi Heidi Enwaldille viimeistään ma 9.5., heidi.enwald@oulu.fi ). Seminaari on englanninkielinen. Seminaarin jälkeen samassa tilassa järjestetään yhdistyksen kevätkokous (suomeksi).

First part 9.15-11.00
Welcoming words, Heidi Enwald
Introduction to HIBA-project, Kristina Eriksson-Backa (20 min)
GASEL project: eServices for healthy ageing, Heidi Enwald (20 min)
Everyday health information literacy in different populations, Noora Hirvonen (20 min)
From all the presentations 10 min discussion
Pasi Karppinen: Health Behavior Change Support Systems – Case of Preventing Metabolic Syndrome (20 min + 10 min for discussion)

11.00-11.15 Break

Second part:11.15-12.30
Hai Nguyen: Exploring Health Information Technology implementation success factors – a comparative investigation in Nordic countries (20 min + 10 min for discussion)
Samantha Adams: Questioning the rise of online rating and recommendation sites in healthcare (30 minutes + 10 minutes for discussion)
Closing of the seminar, Heidi Enwald

Pieni tauko ja n. 12.40 alkaen ITY:n kevätkokous samassa tilassa (kesto noin 1 h). Kaikki yhdistyksen toiminnasta kiinnostuneet ovat tervetulleita kokoukseen!

Health information matters : everyday health information literacy and behaviour in relation to health behaviour and physical health among young men

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Noora Hirvonen's PhD defenceHIBA researcher Noora Hirvonen defended her PhD thesis in information studies “Health information matters : everyday health information literacy and behaviour in relation to health behaviour and physical health among young men” today at the University of Oulu. The dissertation is based on her earlier work in project MOPO. The faculty opponent at the defence was Prof. J. David Johnson from the University of Kentucky. An electronic copy of the thesis can be found online.