Printer friendly page
Back to Newsletter List
|
HI Newsletter Vol. 1, Issue 5, sent 02 Dec 2003
|
Welcome to the 5th issue of the HealthInsite Newsletter, focussing
this month on the quality of health information.
There has been a lot of discussion in the media lately about the sometimes
poor quality of health information available online. This month we
will look at ways that you can assess the quality of health information
for yourself. We'll also look at where you can find information about
the evidence behind different treatment choices so you can make more
informed healthcare and wellbeing decisions.
This newsletter has a lot of detailed information so please let me
know if you think we've included too much.
Please feel free to also let us know if you have any problems with
the newsletter or if you have any suggestions for future editions
by sending an email to:
mailto:healthinsite.feedback@health.gov.au
------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE Vol 1, Issue 5
------------------------------------------------------------
=> Assessing Quality of Information
=> Scientific Evidence
=> Reviews of Evidence - Cochrane Collaboration
=> Cochrane for Consumers - Informed Health Online
=> Your Feedback - Complementary Medicines
=> Partner Spotlight - Alzheimer's Association WA
=> Latest Resources
=> Hot Tip - Partner Process Assures Quality
=> What's on Next Month
------------------------------------------------------------
Assessing the Quality of Information
------------------------------------------------------------
When you are about to buy a new car you might look at all the options
available and then choose the one that best suits your circumstances.
You might also gather some evidence to help you make your decision.
You might talk to the salesperson, read the manufacturer's brochures
or talk to people who have previously bought the product. You might
also see if Choice Magazine, NRMA, RACV (or other affiliated organisations)
have done a comparison of brands and models. The more independent
the source of information, the stronger the evidence is likely to
be.
Health decisions can be much more complex. Some people are very happy
to go along with whatever their health professional recommends but
others like to do some independent research of their own before they
go back to their health professional with questions and further discussion.
Health information is available from a wide range of other sources
and it is often difficult to tell if information can be trusted -
this is especially true of information available on the Internet.
Is it up to date? Is it objective? Is the information written by
a trusted expert?
The Internet is a valuable source of health information that can help
you understand your health issues as well as those of your friends
or families. HealthInsite was developed to help you find reliable
information. All the partner websites that HealthInsite links to have
gone through a strict approval process to ensure that information
available meets our high quality standards.
But how do you assess the quality of other information? We've created
a specific topic page to help you decide if the information you find
on the Internet is of good quality. Many of these principles also
apply to information from other sources too.
How to Assess Health Information Online topic page can be found at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/shortlinks/sLink.cfm?n=5&l=2
------------------------------------------------------------
Scientific Evidence - Where does it come from?
------------------------------------------------------------
Health care decisions are far more important and more complicated
than buying a new car. When you see a health professional about a
health problem you might discuss a few different treatment options.
How do you decide which one is right for you? What sources of information
are available to you and your doctor or other health
professional?
All around the world researchers are conducting studies to determine
if medicines or treatments are effective and safe and their long term
side effects and benefits. Some of the research goes on before the
medicines or treatments are approved for use and some continue on
after it is publicly available. You may even know someone who has
been involved in a clinical trial - perhaps for a new diabetes or
asthma
treatment.
The research is done under tightly controlled conditions and the results
are published widely in journals available to your health professional
and may be reported in the general media. This research is very important
because it provides evidence about the effectiveness of particular
treatments/medicines that help you and your health professional to
work out what is the best option for you.
There are different levels of evidence. For example, several independent
randomised controlled trials finding the same results for
a treatment could be considered a higher level of evidence than the
opinions of respected authorities based on their clinical experience.
But often the highest level of scientific research has not been conducted
and this does not mean that the treatment is not effective. Opinion
and clinical experience form a strong basis on which to make a decision.
For more information about randomised control trials and systematic
reviews in consumer friendly language you may like to visit:
http://www.informedhealthonline.org/item.aspx?tabid=22&pagerequest=5
------------------------------------------------------------
Cochrane Collaboration - Reviews of Evidence
------------------------------------------------------------
As we understand more about what causes diseases and as medical technology
and treatment options increase, it becomes more difficult for health
professionals to keep up to date with new information.
The Cochrane Collaboration is a not-for-profit international organisation
that aims to help people make well-informed decisions about health
care. The Collaboration brings together the results from well-conducted
clinical trials conducted all over the world in the form of systematic
reviews. The Australian Government has negotiated a national licence
that allows anyone in Australia to access the library free of charge.
Simply go to:
http://www.update-software.com/clibng/cliblogon.htm
and click the 'Log on anonymously' button to bring up the opening
screen.
------------------------------------------------------------
Cochrane for Consumers - Informed Health Online
------------------------------------------------------------
Informed Health Online is one of HealthInsite's information partners.
The recently revamped website is excellent and provides consumer friendly
summaries of Cochrane Reviews along with lots of other useful information.
The Informed Health Online website has been designed to help people
understand health care research. It is also a resource for consumers
and others who want to become involved in health research activities,
including the Cochrane Collaboration.
Informed Health Online can be found at:
http://www.informedhealthonline.org/item.aspx
The site is easy to manage but you might like to visit their 'site
tips' for some really useful suggestions about how to find what you
want.
Site tips are available at:
http://www.informedhealthonline.org//item.aspx?tabindex=1&tabid=28
------------------------------------------------------------
Your Feedback - Complementary Medicines
------------------------------------------------------------
We often receive emails asking for information about complementary
medicines including products that claim to provide 'miracle cures'.
These are quite difficult to answer because there is often little
scientific evidence available to support or to challenge claims of
effectiveness. We usually try to give people a starting point for
where to find more information.
If you want to find out more about a particular complementary medicine
you may like to do a search in the Cochrane Library or Informed Health
Online to see if any systematic reviews have been conducted.
There are other types of evidence besides scientific including
evidence that is based on traditional use of a substance or product.
This includes traditional systems of medicine which are used by indigenous
populations all over the world. The Therapeutic Goods Administration
has produced guidelines which outline the requirements that complementary
medicines must meet before they can be listed for use in Australia.
The publication also defines evidence based on traditional use.
Guidelines for Levels and Kinds of Evidence to Support Indications
and Claims is available from the Therapeutic Goods Administration
at:
http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/pdf/tgaccevi.pdf
You may also like to do an Internet search and ask the questions outlined
in the How to Assess Health Information Online topic page which can
be found at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/shortlinks/sLink.cfm?n=5&l=2
*-----------------In Brief------------------*
The National Health and Medical Research Council has
just released new Clinical Practice Guidelines for the
Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents
and Children. The Guidelines are designed primarily as
a resource for doctors but they are an excellent resource
for anyone concerned about obesity and overweight.
The Guidelines can be downloaded free at:
http://www.obesityguidelines.gov.au
*-----------------In Brief------------------*
------------------------------------------------------------
Partner Spotlight - Alzheimer's Association WA
------------------------------------------------------------
Hazel Hawke's announcement that she is suffering from Alzheimer's
Disease has turned the spotlight on 160,000 other sufferers and their
carers in Australia. She said ''Although I would obviously prefer
not to have Alzheimer's, I continue to live a happy and healthy life,
with the love and support of family and friends. I hope that, as a
community, we can work towards this as a reality for all those similarly
affected.''
Her greatest wish is that by speaking out she will be able to promote
openness, awareness and support for all people living with dementia.
Alzheimer's Association WA represents and supports individuals with
dementia and their carers, and advances their interests at a personal,
community and political level. The Association also aims to create
awareness of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in the community.
Currently only the Alzheimer Association WA is a HealthInsite partner
but there are Alzheimer's Associations in every state.
Alzheimer's Association WA (including links to other Alzheimer's Associations)
is available at:
http://www.alzheimers.asn.au/index.php
HealthInsite has several topic pages which you may find useful including:
Alzheimer's Disease topic page at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Alzheimer_s_Disease
Dementia topic page
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Dementia
------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Resources
------------------------------------------------------------
The HealthInsite team regularly adds new items to the database including
new information partners, new topic pages and news items. You can
find a list of new and updated material added to the database in the
past month at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/search/newsletter_search.cfm?id=6
------------------------------------------------------------
Hot Tip - Partner process ensures quality
------------------------------------------------------------
We're delighted that five new partners have joined the HealthInsite
family:
Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration available at:
http://www.prostatehealth.org.au/index.html
Cancer Council Australia
http://www.cancer.org.au/
Consumers' Health Forum of Australia
http://www.chf.org.au/
DepressioNet
http://www.depressionet.com.au/
Women's Health Victoria
http://www.whv.org.au/
A list of all our partners can be found at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/shortlinks/sLink.cfm?n=5&l=3
But how did they become partners?
Organisations and websites who wish to become partners must go through
the HealthInsite quality assessment process. This involves an initial
self-assessment by the organisation and the HealthInsite Editorial
Team according to the HealthInsite Publishing Standards.
The Standards look at four areas:
Quality of information, for example: Are the authors of the information
qualified? Is the information accurate? Is it appropriate for the
target audience?
Authentication, for example: Does it include a clear and explicit
title, creator, publisher and date?
Technical issues, for example: Does it work and is it presented well?
Accessibility, for example: Does it cater for a range of hardware
and software that users may have? Can it be used by people with disabilities?
Once the initial assessment phase is completed, websites are then
assessed by the HealthInsite Editorial Board, an independent group
of health professionals and consumer representatives. In reaching
a decision, the Editorial Board will consider the overall quality
of the proposed information partner's quality assurance process and
the appropriateness of the information for consumers. After the Editorial
Board gives approval, the organisation signs a four-year Deed of Agreement
with HealthInsite that sets out the ongoing roles and responsibilities
of both the organisation and HealthInsite.
As you can see, it's quite a long process but it means that you can
trust that the information available through HealthInsite is of the
highest standard possible.
We welcome applications from any organisations that provide consumer
health information. Organisations can nominate themselves or you
may like to recommend an organisation or website to us. We can then
contact the organisation about becoming a partner.
More information about becoming an information partner can be found
at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/shortlinks/sLink.cfm?n=5&l=4
------------------------------------------------------------
What's on Next Month
------------------------------------------------------------
We'll publish the next issue in mid December before the Christmas
break. We'll look at resources to help you cope with the Christmas
season including tips for travelling, healthy eating, and managing
the all too common problems of overindulgence (hic).
For some people Christmas can be a time of loneliness, isolation and
conflict so we'll also look at resources to help you cope with these
issues as well.
------------------------------------------------------------
Till then, take care
The Editorial Team
HealthInsite
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
