Healthcare Informatics
Patients are becoming technologically savvy. The use of the Smartphone has made accessing information as simple as tapping on a downloaded application. For this discussion, please select a disease or condition and research online support groups and websites or applications you would recommend for patient education. Consider the information provided by USA.gov related to evaluating health information on the Internet
https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/How_To_Evaluate_Health_Information_on_the_Internet_Questions_and_Answers.aspx
Please respond to each of the following prompts:
1. Choose 3 sites or applications (one must be a support group) and explain what the critical components are that you used to evaluate them.
2. Explain from a nursing perspective the benefits of each site and also what improvements are needed.
3. How do these sites or applications (one of which is a support group) support diverse and hard-to-reach populations?
Sample Solution
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) website (https://www.diabetes.org/)
The ADA website is a great resource for general information about diabetes, as well as more specific information about different types of diabetes. The website includes a variety of educational materials, such as articles, videos, and interactive tools. The ADA website also has a section on support groups, where people with diabetes can connect with others who are going through the same thing.
Critical components:
- The ADA website is well-organized and easy to navigate.
- The information on the website is accurate and up-to-date.
- The website offers a variety of educational materials that are appropriate for different levels of understanding.
- The website has a section on support groups, which can be a valuable resource for people with diabetes.
- The ADA website can be a helpful tool for nurses to use when educating patients about diabetes.
- The website can also be a resource for nurses to learn more about diabetes themselves.
- The support groups on the website can be a valuable resource for patients who are looking for support from others who are going through the same thing.
- The ADA website could be improved by making the information more visually appealing.
- The website could also be improved by adding more interactive tools.
- The MySugr app is easy to use and navigate.
- The app is accurate and reliable.
- The app offers a variety of features to help people with diabetes manage their condition.
- The app has a community forum where people with diabetes can connect with others and share experiences.
- The MySugr app can be a helpful tool for nurses to use when working with patients with diabetes.
- The app can help patients to track their blood sugar levels and other health data, which can be helpful for nurses to monitor.
- The app also has a community forum where nurses can connect with other nurses and share experiences.
- The MySugr app could be improved by adding more features to help people with diabetes manage their condition.
- The app could also be improved by making the app more visually appealing.
- TuDiabetes is a well-organized and easy-to-use website.
- The information on the website is accurate and up-to-date.
- The website offers a variety of educational materials that are appropriate for different levels of understanding.
- The website has a forum where people with diabetes can connect with others and share experiences.
- TuDiabetes can be a helpful resource for nurses to use when working with patients with diabetes.
- The website can help patients to connect with others who are going through the same thing.
- The website also offers a variety of educational materials that can be helpful for nurses to learn more about diabetes.
- TuDiabetes could be improved by adding more features to help people with diabetes manage their condition.
- The website could also be improved by making the website more visually appealing.