Designing for eHealth Literacy: The Role of

Systems, Social Media and Networks

Cameron  D.  Norman  PhD  Dalla  Lana  School  of  Public  Health  

University  of  Toronto  Youth  Voices  Research  Group  

Learning Objectives

• Identify opportunities to use social media to engage peers and patients

• Identify strategies to use technology to facilitate communication with low and high literacy patients and peers

eHealth literacy is defined as: “the ability to seek, find, understand, and Appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem.” -- Norman, CD & Skinner, HA (2006). Journal of Medical Internet Research 8 (2)

Design: Planning and making things with intention; it is about making intent real

Systems Thinking:

Not everything happens as we intend

Things – people, ideas, technologies, and outcomes – connect

⋯.Understanding these connections can help us better leverage the power of networks for health literacy promotion

Social media

Conversation

Relationships

Transparency

Community Exchange

Innovation Opportunity

Expression Communication

Collaboration

Getting in Sync About eHealth literacy:

Engaging Youth & Youth Adults Through Social Media

Video: Literacy in Motion

Photography: A picture is worth a thousand words⋯

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Diffusion of Content

Integrated Strategy

www.youth4health.ca  www.youthvoices.ca    www.navigatethis.org  

One conversation, many pathways⋯

Outcomes & Activities

•  # visits - reach •  # referrals •  # likes/friends/followers

•  #posts •  Meaningful conversations

•  New ideas and feedback on existing ones

•  Site statistics (e.g., Google Analytics)

•  Tweet following tools (e.g. hashtag search)

•  Social network analysis

Contact:

Cameron D. Norman PhD

Email: cameron.norman@utoronto.ca

Twitter: @cdnorman @yvresearch

Web: censemaking.wordpress.com

www.youthvoices.ca