Debra M Wolf
Chatham University, USA
Title: Empowering patients to use the WWW safely to make decisions regarding their health
Biography
Biography: Debra M Wolf
Abstract
Source of health information that continues to empower patients’ is the use of the internet and social media sites. Technology has made electronic health information resources readily available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When patients use these sites for health information seeking, nurses have to ask themselves, “What education is communicated in order for this patient to become empowered and be a well-educated participant in their internet health-seeking behavior? Nurses, in the inpatient and outpatient settings, are in a key position to assess and communicate educational principles to the empowered patient on how to effectively access and assess information on the internet. An exploratory study was conducted assessing nurses’ level of knowledge and use of the internet. In addition, the study explored nurses’ assessment and education of their patients in using the internet. This presentation will introduce the results of the study supporting the need for educational programs on how to use the internet safely for both patients and nursing professionals. Several tools will be presented that will guide individuals in using the internet to seek health related information.