Disadvantaged but Not Disconnected: Everyone Goes Local

Presentation Transcript

Diana McDuffee, NC AHEC LIS Network Director,

Christie Silbajoris, NC Health Info Project Director

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Program Logic Model Inputs/Assumptions:

Many people are using the web to find health information
Public access to the Internet is readily available throughout North Carolina
Public librarians provide assistance to their users in finding health information on the web
Economically disadvantaged individuals and their intermediaries (caregivers, health professionals) use the Internet to find health information.

many people are using the web to find health information

“ Half of American adults have searched online for health information. Fully 80% of adult Internet users have searched for one of 16 major health topics online. This makes the act of looking for health or medical information the third most popular activity online, after email and researching a product.”

Pew Internet & American Life Project, Internet Health Resources Report, July 2003

Many people are using the web to find health information

Public access to the Internet is readily available throughout North Carolina

Between 2002 and 2004 the proportion of North Carolinians who use the Internet anywhere increased from 65% to 71%.

59% NC homes have computers connected

to the Internet.

Wilson, Tracking Home Computers and Internet Access in North Carolina 1999-2004, e-NC Authority, 2005

Public librarians provide assistance to their users in finding health information on the web

All public libraries in NC have computers available for public access to the Internet
38% of Internet users report having used the Internet at a public library. (Wilson, e-NC Authority)
The NCLIVE (NC State Library Digital Library) has prominent links to MedlinePlus and NC Health Info along with links to both free and licensed health databases
Survey of public libraries in 2000 indicate that as many as 40% of questions received at the reference desk are health related. (Silbajoris and Hull, Health Sciences Library, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2000)

Economically disadvantaged individuals and their intermediaries (caregivers, health professionals) use the Internet to find health information.

From the Pew reports:

20% of Internet users in the Southeast earn less than $30,000 annually
Of the top 16 health topics searched on the web, Health insurance information ranks 7th and Medicaid/Medicare ranks #14th
38% of Americans with disabilities go online and 87% of this group have searched for a health topic.
21% of home caregivers have searched for Medicaid/Medicare information online

e-NC Authority Surveys

Usage of the Internet in rural areas is greater than the national average.
Lower income respondents report more Internet usage than their national counterparts.
High School dropouts are more likely to use the Internet in North Carolina than in the rest of the nation.

Wilson, Tracking Home Computers and Internet Access in North Carolina 1999-2004, e-NC Authority, 2005

From NC Health Info data:

From a very small sample of NC Health Info survey respondents:

13.4% public users reported “no health insurance; 3.1% reported Medicaid
8.8% health professionals reported using site for a patient that is uninsured or Medicaid eligible
Several questions sent to “Ask a Librarian” indicated concern about insurance, cost of service or seeking provider who takes medicare/medicaid