Culture-centered Approach in Addressing Health Disparities: Communication Infrastructures for Subaltern Voices

ABSTRACT

This article offers a conceptual overview of the key principles of the culture-centered approach (CCA) as a meta-theoretical framework for addressing health inequalities by building communicative infrastructures for listening to the voices of subaltern communities that are hitherto erased from dominant discursive spaces. Complementing a growing body of scholarship that draws on the CCA to address the structural contexts of health in the subaltern margins across the globe, this article lays out the methodological framework of the CCA. It highlights the key conceptual anchors that serve as foundations of the approach, suggesting that participation, partnerships, communication, dialogue, and reflexivity offer methodological tools that interrogate the reproduction of erasures within dominant structures, and create entry points for subaltern voices to arrive into hegemony. The essay wraps up by offering specific strategies and tools for designing culture-centered projects that may be adopted by activists, community advocates and organizers, and academics working in academic-community partnerships in the backdrop of health disparities.     

The COVID‐19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: reflections on the roles of librarians and information professionals

This Regular Feature explores the role of health science librarians in the coronavirus pandemic. COVID‐19 has spread rapidly all over the world. All major cities around the globe are in lockdown. In Pakistan, the first case was diagnosed on 26 February 2020, and currently, there are more than 2039 diagnosed cases and 26 deaths as on 31 March 2020. Across the country, there are further 12 000 suspected cases. This will undoubtedly increase if precautionary measures are not taken. Pakistani universities, colleges and schools were in lockdown. The role of university librarians in this emergency included raising awareness through public health education, providing support to medical staff, researchers and providing ongoing traditional services to regular library patrons in Pakistan. The Regular Feature also provides links to useful resources. JM.     

The University of Plymouth Sexual Health SIM experience in Second Life®: evaluation and reflections after 1 year

Background and objectives: Virtual environments such as Second Life are increasingly used as venues for public health education. This paper reports an evaluation of a sexual health project in Second Life, designed to provide education about sexually transmitted infections, prevention of unintended pregnancy and promotion of equalitarian sexual relationships. Methods: The University of Plymouth Sexual Health SIM provides a wide variety of educational experiences, including opportunities to test knowledge of sexual health through quizzes and games, web resources integrated within the virtual context and live seminars on sexual health topics. Primary methods of evaluation consisted of a survey (n = 135) and traffic statistics on the virtual programme. Results: Evaluation results indicated that the Sexual Health SIM was positively viewed by its audience and fostered development of a vibrant virtual community. Conclusions: While these results are promising, it is important to keep in mind the many challenges of delivering and evaluating the impact of educational programmes within 3‐D virtual environments.     

Statewide Initiative to Embed Consumer Health Librarians in Public Libraries: A Case Study

In 2004 a collaborative, statewide outreach project in Delaware was undertaken where consumer health librarians were embedded in public libraries. In order to explore the effect of the embedded librarians on the quality of health information provision, unobtrusive reference visits were made to half of the public libraries in the state. The query “Do vaccines cause autism?” was posed to library staff; resources provided were recorded. In 67 percent of visits, public library staff provided authoritative health information resources. It appears the embedded librarians had a positive residual effect on the provision of authoritative health resources for addressing an ambiguous query.     

Health and Medicine

Abstract

The Internet provides librarians with unprecedented access to time sensitive informational resources. The time critical nature of many health and medicine reference requests makes such access important to die health practitioner, educator, researcher, and the consumer. This paper then provides an annotated listing of various Internet sites, many that are starting points for exploration of specific health subject areas. Special considerations for locating and selecting health and medicine resources are also provided.     

健康信息需求分析及相关网络资源的使用——对达拉斯福和地区华人的调查

本文阐述了一项由全美医学图书馆联盟中南区中心资助的研究项目。其目的是了解北美华人对健康信息的需求及网络健康信息资源的使用状况。本研究回收了101份调查表。研究结果发现调查对象有兴趣了解更多关于乳腺癌、糖尿病、乙型肝炎等疾病的信息,愿意学习如何使用互联网络查找高品质的健康信息资源。语言障碍以及对美国医疗体系知识的缺乏了解是调查对象在获取医疗健康信息中遇到困难的主要原因。面对这些需求和问题, 指出认识语言和文化的差异性,推荐权威性、可靠性、针对性强的高质量的健康信息资源,介绍网络健康信息质量评估方法, 将有助于对华人的医疗健康信息服务。     

Health Sciences Librarians' Research on Medical Students' Use of Information for Their Studies at The Medical School,University of Queensland,Australia

This study reports the findings of research undertaken by health sciences librarians at the University of Queensland Library into how medical students use information for their studies, particularly resources and services provided by the Library. The methods utilized were an online survey and focus groups. Results indicated that students favor print resources over electronic, value accessing resources on a one-stop basis, and prefer training to be delivered flexibly. The implication of these results for future resource selection, service provision, and instructional design and delivery is discussed.     

国外公众健康信息素养运动的发展及启示

研究发现美英等国政府在促进公众健康信息素养问题上都曾出现过问题,近年来通过政策支持、国家级健康网站建设和基金项目资助等一系列强有力的措施,问题得以逐步解决,其中的经验和措施对提高我国公众的健康信息素养起到了典范作用。     

Health on the Line: Identity and Disciplinary Control in Employee Occupational Health and Safety Discourse

Based on an ethnographic case study and interviewing at an automobile manufacturing plant, this essay examines employee consent to health hazards and to the discursive and regulatory mechanisms that exclude employee experiences from official reports of workplace injury and illness. The article redresses the lack of scholarly attention in the occupational health and safety literature to the role of discourse in defining and negotiating risk and in constructing norms about reporting health and safety issues among employees. Findings demonstrate how employees themselves may participate in the construction of shared identity norms that act disciplinarily to shift responsibility for safety from management to individual workers. Understanding these hegemonic norms provides a basis to question occupational health and safety statistics, and offers strategic points of intervention to improve worker health protections.     

Health sciences librarians' research on medical students' use of information for their studies at the medical school, University of Queensland, Australia

This study reports the findings of research undertaken by health sciences librarians at the University of Queensland Library into how medical students use information for their studies, particularly resources and services provided by the Library. The methods utilized were an online survey and focus groups. Results indicated that students favor print resources over electronic, value accessing resources on a one-stop basis, and prefer training to be delivered flexibly. The implication of these results for future resource selection, service provision, and instructional design and delivery is discussed.     

Health on the Line: Identity and Disciplinary Control in Employee Occupational Health and Safety Discourse

Based on an ethnographic case study and interviewing at an automobile manufacturing plant, this essay examines employee consent to health hazards and to the discursive and regulatory mechanisms that exclude employee experiences from official reports of workplace injury and illness. The article redresses the lack of scholarly attention in the occupational health and safety literature to the role of discourse in defining and negotiating risk and in constructing norms about reporting health and safety issues among employees. Findings demonstrate how employees themselves may participate in the construction of shared identity norms that act disciplinarily to shift responsibility for safety from management to individual workers. Understanding these hegemonic norms provides a basis to question occupational health and safety statistics, and offers strategic points of intervention to improve worker health protections.     

International trends in health science librarianship part 17: a comparison of health science libraries with academic and research libraries

Over the last 4 years this Regular Feature has looked at trends in health science librarianship in the 21st century. Although there are still a few more regions to be covered in this series, this issue explores general trends in academic and research libraries with a view to discovering whether the trends identified for health science libraries are similar. Are health science libraries unique? Or do their experiences mirror those found in the wider world of academic and research libraries? JM     

公众健康素养与图书馆

个体健康素养直接影响健康结局和医疗费用,也是人群健康差距的主要原因。无论是发达国家还是发展中国家,居民健康素养普遍偏低。教育和自主学习被认为是提高健康素养水平的重要举措。国外图书馆通过提供丰富的健康信息资源、与医学院校合作,提高医生健康信息素养、向公众推广健康信息资源的使用等方式积极参与提高公众健康素养。我国图书馆界应主动参与公众健康素养促进项目,不同类型图书馆定位好自己的服务人群和特色。     

社会标注在医药卫生网络资源中的应用研究

以社会标注在医药卫生网络信息资源中的典型应用网站为研究对象,介绍社会标注在医药卫生网络信息资源组织与管理中的具体应用,分析指出：社会标注在医药卫生资源管理中可实现信息组织、信息检索、信息推荐、信息分享等功能和服务,在医药卫生信息资源的有效组织与揭示、快速传播和利用及挖掘领域中的关注热点和主题等方面具有重要作用。但是,社会标注在医药卫生网络资源网站中的应用也存在对标签缺乏控制和控制过死、个性化服务能力有限和对标注数据的利用不足等问题,作者对此提出针对性的改进建议。     

数字知识环境下的健康信息素养教育和健康信息服务——医学图书馆员的新使命

文章在阐述健康素养和健康信息素养内涵的基础上,全面探讨了美国和英国医学图书馆员在为医务人员和公众进行健康信息素养教育和提供健康信息服务所采取的有效措施。他们主要发挥了以下作用。1）可以对医务人员进行健康信息素养培训,一为医务人员提供优质的信息资源以及开发新的医学信息资源。2）可以促进医务人员与公众和患者的交流和沟通;开发新技术促进公众对健康信息资源的利用。5）可帮助政府制定积极的卫生政策,促进公众健康素养的提升。     

The Health Information Literacy Research Project

Objectives:

This research studied hospital administrators'' and hospital-based health care providers'' (collectively, the target group) perceived value of consumer health information resources and of librarians'' roles in promoting health information literacy in their institutions.

Methods:

A web-based needs survey was developed and administered to hospital administrators and health care providers. Multiple health information literacy curricula were developed. One was pilot-tested by nine hospital libraries in the United States and Canada. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate the curriculum and its impact on the target group.

Results:

A majority of survey respondents believed that providing consumer health information resources was critically important to fulfilling their institutions'' missions and that their hospitals could improve health information literacy by increasing awareness of its impact on patient care and by training staff to become more knowledgeable about health literacy barriers. The study showed that a librarian-taught health information literacy curriculum did raise awareness about the issue among the target group and increased both the use of National Library of Medicine consumer health resources and referrals to librarians for health information literacy support.

Conclusions:

It is hoped that many hospital administrators and health care providers will take the health information literacy curricula and recognize that librarians can educate about the topic and that providers will use related consumer health services and resources.

Highlights

• Health care providers responded positively to a health information literacy curriculum offered by librarians and to related resources and services, namely MedlinePlus and the information referral system known as Information Rx.
• Participation in a curriculum increased health care providers'' knowledge of health information literacy, awareness of available consumer health information, and referral of patients to the library for additional assistance.
• Librarian involvement in health information literacy increased the profession''s visibility and perceived value.

Implications

• Consumer health information services and resources offered by librarians can improve the health information literacy skills of health care providers and their patients.
• Training by librarians can increase knowledge of the importance of health information literacy and usage of MedlinePlus and Information Rxs.
• Hospital-based administrators and health care providers can be champions in support of health information literacy and consumer health information services offered by libraries.

     

任务情境下青年人网络健康信息资源选择的群体差异研究

[目的/意义]从任务情境视角阐明青年人网络健康信息资源选择的群体差异,为政府、图书馆以及医疗机构等健康信息服务部门提升健康信息服务提供参考。[方法/过程]采用问卷调查与访谈法,以青年人为研究对象,从任务情境、健康信息平台、群体差异的角度出发,对群体差异对网络健康信息资源选择的影响进行相关性分析。[结果/结论]任务情境会对网络健康信息资源的选择产生影响,在不同健康信息平台下的影响具有差异;任务情境下网络健康信息资源选择的群体差异显著,在不同健康信息平台下的差异性不同。     

Health science libraries in Sweden: new directions,expanding roles

Librarians in Sweden are facing huge challenges in meeting the demands of their organisations and users. This article looks at four key areas: coping with open science/open access initiatives; increasing demands from researchers for support doing systematic reviews; understanding user experiences in Swedish health science libraries; and the consequences of expanding roles for recruitment and continuing professional development. With regard to changing roles, there is an increasing shift from the generalist towards the expert role. The authors raise the issue as to how to prepare those new to the profession to the changing environment of health science libraries.     

Developing E-Science and Research Services and Support at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries

ABSTRACT

This article describes the development and implementation of e-science and research support services in the Health Sciences Libraries (HSL) at the University of Minnesota (UMN). A review of the broader e-science initiatives within the UMN demonstrates the needs and opportunities that the University Libraries face while building knowledge, skills, and capacity to support e-research. These experiences are being used by the University Libraries administration and HSL to apply support for the growing needs of researchers in the health sciences. Several research areas that would benefit from enhanced e-science support are described. Plans to address the growing e-research needs of health sciences researchers are also discussed.