The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psy- chometric properties of a Swedish version of The Krantz Health Opinion Survey (KHOS). A conven- ience sample of 79 persons (47 men and 32 women) was recruited from The Heart and Lung Patients’ National Association at ten local meeting places in different areas in Sweden. The questionnaire was examined for face and content validity, internal con-sistency and test-retest reliability. The findings showed that the Swedish version of KHOS is accept- able in terms of face and content validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability over time among 79 individuals >65 years of age and with a cardiac disease. In conclusion, wider evaluations of the psy- chometric use of KHOS for other populations and settings are recommended. / SAMMI

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Objective: The purpose of this project is to provide better consumer health information and services to a patient population of a hospital-based nursing home. Methods: A hospital partnered with an academic medical library and obtained National Network of Libraries of Medicine funding. Wii devices with television monitors were purchased to improve physical activity in the nursing home. All nurses were trained to use MedlinePlus, and computers were made available for their use to search MedlinePlus in the nursing home. MedlinePlus materials were added to the consumer health library in the hospital, and DVD players were purchased to use for watching consumer health videos. Results: The capacity of the nursing home and hospital to deliver consumer health information to patients and their families has been improved. Conclusions: A small project like this is a great way to introduce a health care system to the services and products of the National Library of Medicine and empower the staff to better provide consumer health information.

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This thesis explores the statement that the health information needs and behaviour of the general public, namely health information consumers are comparable with those of academics, health and social care professionals. The research has been conducted in the broad Interpretist tradition, seeking to understand rather than merely explain human behaviour. A model depicting the health information and knowledge environment has been developed to show the how the infonnation behaviour of the various populations in the research are interpreted and where they are placed. The provision, access and use of health information by consumers is the focus of the inner core of the model and is the first theme of the thesis. Several discrete groups of the information poor are investigated to explore their information needs and behaviour. The middle layer of the model depicts the second theme of this thesis focusing on the attitudes of academics, health and social care professionals in their use and access of health information and IT in everyday practice. The information behaviour of the health information and library professional is the focus of the third theme of the thesis and is represented by the outer layer of the model. This theme explores the detail and the contribution of the role to the clinical team, the use of Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Governance. Conclusions support the opening statement that the health information needs and behaviour of the general public, namely health information consumers are comparable with those of academics, health and social care professionals. Recommendations are made to promote better and more frequent use of health information and health information professionals in the everyday practice of health and social care; to improve the access and provision of health information for consumers.

Limited health literacy is a barrier to understanding health information. Simplifying text can reduce this barrier and possibly other known disparities in health. Unfortunately, few tools exist to simplify text with demonstrated impact on comprehension. By leveraging modern data sources integrated with natural language processing algorithms, we are developing the first semi-automated text simplification tool. We present two main contributions. First, we introduce our evidence-based development strategy for designing effective text simplification software and summarize initial, promising results. Second, we present a new study examining existing readability formulas, which are the most commonly used tools for text simplification in healthcare. We compare syllable count, the proxy for word difficulty used by most readability formulas, with our new metric ‘term familiarity’ and find that syllable count measures how difficult words ‘appear’ to be, but not their actual difficulty. In contrast, term familiarity can be used to measure actual difficulty.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, page: 3557. Advisers: Linda Lloyd; Linda Piller. Includes bibliographical references.

The aim was to explore experiences and needs of information following a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect, and to assess the quality of publicly available information websites about congenital heart defects. Study I was a qualitative interview study that explored experiences among 11 parents to prenatally diagnosed children. Respondents tried to grasp the facts today while reflecting on the future, and personal contact with medical specialists was valued. The analysis showed that the Web contained an overwhelming amount of information. Study II was a qualitative interview study that explored experiences among 26 females and males 5-15 weeks after a prenatal diagnosis. Respondents hunted for information in a confusing reality, with a need for information about various topics and methods for information delivery. Although high satisfaction with the specialist information was described, the information was considered overwhelming and complex. Supplemental information was sought via the Web. Insufficient information about induced abortions was described. Study III was a quantitative study that explored content and quality of 67 English websites about congenital heart defects. Few websites included information about prenatal aspects, such as pregnancy termination. The overall quality was poor, especially reliability and information about treatment choices. Study IV was a mixed methods study that explored the quality of 10 Swedish websites about congenital heart defects, from the perspectives of 9 assessors with personal experience of a prenatal diagnosis. Quantitative Likert scale assessments were followed by written open-ended questions and focus group discussions. Quantitative assessments represented unfulfilled quality criterion for treatment choices, and partially fulfilled quality criteria for appearance, details, relevance, suitability and overall quality. Websites had significantly different scores for all investigated quality criteria. Various issues were highlighted in the responses to the open-ended questions and during the discussions, including inappropriate advertisements, biased information, poor illustrations, complex language and poor trustworthiness. In conclusion, expectant parents faced with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect in the fetus try to grasp the unexpected, an attempt that involves difficulties in relation to information. These are present during the consultation with health professionals and when searching for web-based information.