- Introduction
- PiF Conferences
- PiF Workshops
- PiF Regional Events
- Forthcoming Regional Events
- Meeting the Information Needs of Diverse Groups-Friday 20 April 2012
- PiF East Midlands Event: Making the case for Consumer Health Information
- PiF South West England event: Consumer health information in the digital world
- PiF North West England event
- PiF West Midlands Partnership event
- South West Regional Event - Current Topics in Consumer Health Information
- PiF Executive Circle
PiF North West England event
Monday 14th March 2011, Manchester
The Patient Information Forum held a regional event in Manchester on
Monday 14th March 2011. Originally planned as a member only event,
wider circulation of the programme within the local health economy and
elsewhere led to 63 people expressing an interest in attending with 50
people in attendance on the day.
Whilst there was a lot of
representation from the NHS there were also delegates from the British
Red Cross, Care and Repair, Fire and Rescue Service and a range of
independent organisations. Equally impressive were the range of job
roles and levels of seniority highlighting the interest in consumer
health information issues across many areas. In addition to library and
information roles delegates areas of interest also included patient and
public involvement, document control, equality, nursing,
communications, training and clinical audit.
The event combined
speakers and open discussion and the topics ranged from a strategic and
national perspective on consumer health information delivered by PiF
Chair Mark Duman. Gary Birkenhead, PiF Regional Co-ordinator then
focussed on how consumer health information is delivered at a local
level looking at the issues, problems and solution in providing
information to patients in his role as manager of the Health Information
Centre at Tameside General Hospital. Lilian Barton gave a statistical
tour of social media and the role such things as Facebook, Twitter and
other web 2.0 technologies play now and how they will be an increasingly
important part of consumer health information in the future. Chris
Bates from Crocodilio addressed the issue of communication and the need
to have a relevant and credible message, and for this message to be
transmitted effectively if it is to be well received, but that we need
to be aware of ‘noise’ – the things that disturb the communication flow –
if the messages is to reach its final destination (the patient).
The
open discussion looked at quality issues; whether a repository of
consumer health information is required; engaging patients in the
production of information and the use of different technologies to reach
people including problems of digital divide and information literacy;
whether too much information is as dangerous as too little information;
the value of complaints as a source of free feedback and the role of
PALS services in the provision of information; and the low priority
given to consumer health information, particularly in terms of the
amount of money allocated to this area.
Click on the titles below to view the presentations:
- Patient Information at Tameside General Hospital, Gary Birkenhead
- Cutting through the noise: Ensuring the right message gets through, Chris Bates, Crocodilio
- Social Media, Lilian Barton, Lilian Barton Associates
Page last edited: 06 October 2011
