Info Rx

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Info Rx

• Providing Information First Aid to Your Users

Presented By Jean Shipman and Shannon Jones
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Info Rx
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Info Rx
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Info Rx
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Info Rx
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Info Rx

• http//www.foundation.acponline.org/healthcom/info
  _rx.htm

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Info Rx Goals

• Increase health literacy
• Promote MedlinePlus as reputable source
• Encourage physicians to talk with their patients
  about their health
• Empower patients to be partners in their health
  care
• Reduce health care costs

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Info Rx Goals

• Better treatment compliance
• Better understanding of treatment options
• Preventative care practice increased
• Reimbursable health insurance coverage?
• Encourage adoption and broad diffusion of
  practice among health care providers

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Info Rx Pilot Projects

• Pilot Projects
• Iowa and Georgia
• Local ACP chapters physicians involved
• A total of 2865 invitations and surveys were sent
• 517 physicians participated
• Given promotional material package
• Survey results

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Info Rx Pilot Projects
Health Information Rx Pre-Pilot Website Referrals
To which of the following Internet sites do you
refer your patients?
n 308
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Info Rx Pilot Projects
Websites to Which Patients Are Referred Percent
Ranked 1st or 2nd Out of 5Post-Pilot
n 216
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Info Rx Pilot Projects
Change in Number of Patient Referrals to Internet
Since participating in Information Rx Pilot, has
the percentage of patients you refer to the
Internet for information increased, decreased, or
not changed?
n 210
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Info Rx Pilot Projects
Impact of Local Library Support on Willingness to
Refer Patients to MEDLINEplus
Would it increase your willingness to refer
patients to MEDLINEplus if local libraries
provided free access to the Internet and
assistance in locating health information?
n 209
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Info Rx Pilot Projects

• Overall, through a post-pilot telephone survey,
  physicians rated the program 4.4 on a 5 point
  scale
• Patients who completed an online survey also gave
  the program unanimous praise even though the
  response rate was low

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Info Rx Pilot Projects

• Virginia
• January April 2004
• Promoted more widely
• Revised previous pilot materials based on
  feedback received
• INVOLVED LIBRARIANS

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Info Rx Virginia Pilot Project

• Over 250 ACP members participated
• Librarians helped to promote the project to all
  types of health professionals
• Promotional methods included
• Announcements at departmental meetings
• Employing institutional awareness channels
• Posters at national and local meetings
• Offered training sessions and demos
• Exhibited at professional meetings

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Info Rx Virginia Pilot Project

• Health Sciences Librarians also helped to promote
  the project to other librarians in the state
  through
• Helping NLM to develop a librarians toolkit
• Writing articles for journals and newsletters
• Establishing a listserv
• Created a web site
• Training over 160 public librarians
• This talk ?

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Info Rx Project National Launch

• April 22, 2004
• New Orleans ACP annual meeting
• Press room with presentations from
• ACPF
• NLM
• Georgia and Virginia Pilot Project Physicians
• Patient

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Info Rx Project National Launch

• Since launch, over 1450 health care providers
  have registered
• 90 of these initially were ACP members
• More librarians are registering
• Health sciences - 30 of monthly nos.
• Other librarians - 8

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Info Rx Project Registration

• Information Rxs can be ordered online at
  http//www.foundation.acponline.org/healthcom/info
  _rx.htm
• Also can order promotional materials such as

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Info Rx Project Registration
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Info Rx Project Registration
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Info Rx Librarian as Pharmacist

• Fill information prescriptions
• Promote awareness of the project _at_ your library
• Encourage use of MedlinePlus for finding reliable
  health information
• Assist patrons with navigating MedlinePlus
• Register for MedlinePlus E-mail Announcement
  Lists
• Stay abreast of other reliable health information
  resources
• Know your local and state resources for Health
  Information

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Info Rx Librarian as Pharmacist

• Join National Network of Libraries of Medicine
  (NN/LM). Membership is Free!
• Explore training opportunities for providing
  consumer health.
• Explore obtaining MLA's Consumer Health
  Information Specialization
• Join Info Rx and/or CAPHIS listserv
• Join Mid-Atlantic Chapter of MLA and/or Virginia
  Council of Health Science Librarians (VaCOHSL)
• Develop partnerships with your local health
  science librarians

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Info Rx Project Outcomes

• Information Rx Librarian Toolkit
• Education Training Outreach
• Increased opportunities to partner with public
  librarians
• Appreciation gifts for VA Public Libraries

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Info Rx Librarian Toolkit
http//nnlm.gov/hip/infoRx/index.html
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Info Rx MedlinePlus.gov

• What is MedlinePlus?

• Why MedlinePlus?
• Information is up-to-date, reliable, and free
• No advertisements
• Information is not biased
• Registration is not required
• Resources for low level readers and
  Spanish-language
• Links only to authoritative sites, such as the
  National Institutes of Health, Centers for
  Disease Control etc

http//www.medlineplus.gov
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Info Rx MedlinePlus.gov
http//www.medlineplus.gov
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Info Rx The Road Ahead

• More patient feedback
• Evaluative research study
• Continued project promotion
• Encourage VA public librarians to join NN/LM
• Promote awareness about MedlinePlus

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Info Rx