Social Media for Social Learning on Health and Medicine:

eHealth Literacy and Navigating the Web for Wellbeing Cameron D. Norman PhD

Principal, CENSE Research + Design

Adjunct Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

@cdnorman  

PWIAS International Roundtable on Health Literacy: Vancouver, BC May 2013

Any electronic, networked information resource that derives its principal value from user contributions & engagement

See: Logan, R.K. (2000). The sixth language: learning a living in the Internet age. Toronto, ON: Stoddart.

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)

Health

Literacy

InformationLiteracy

TraditionalLiteracy

ScienceLiteracy

Computer

Literacy Media

Literacy

eHealthLiteracy

Norman & Skinner (2006a). JMIR, 8 (2) e9

Health

Literacy

ComputerLiteracy

TraditionalLiteracy

ScienceLiteracy

Information

Literacy Media

Literacy

eHealthLiteracy

  Traditional (Basic) Literacy & Numeracy   Media Literacy   Information Literacy

Health

Literacy

ComputerLiteracy

TraditionalLiteracy

ScienceLiteracy

Information

Literacy

Media

Literacy

eHealthLiteracy

  Computer Literacy   Science Literacy   Health Literacy

NARRATIVE / COLLABORATIVE CARE

Creating Conversations

•  Give and take •  Engagement vs.

Broadcast •  Sharing (but not

always equal) •  Different cadence and

pace of information flow

•  Process and outcomes are developmental, evolving, complex

How do we create the literacy conversation?

MOBILITY

Taking  informa,on  with  you  

Mental Models

•  Systems thinking – Looking at wholes rather than parts

•  Network effects – Connection numbers, types, and clusters – Cliques, contagions, and resistance

•  Design thinking –  Intentionally shaping interventions – Formulating strategy

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts – Systems Thinking maxim

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

Design Thinking

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

We need to be clear about our intentions and goals

Learning  to  Learn  

•  Many  systema,c  barriers  – Most  are  social  /  organiza,onal    

– Few  are  technological  •  The  myths  /  reali,es  of  the  digital  divide  

•  Framing  new  ways  to  think  and  spaces  to  think  in  may  be  the  key  

•  Training  in  technical  issues,  not  systemic  ones  

Mindfulness in practice

Events  

PaBerns  

Systemic  Structures  

Who Lives, Who Dies? Will Social Media Decide? 2012 Hart House Hancock Lecture http://feeds.tvo.org/tvobigideas (March 1st, 2013)

Science-ish Blog: http://www2.macleans.ca/science-ish/

Julia Belluz (@juliaoftoronto)

Cameron D. Norman PhD

Principal, CENSE Research + Design @cdnorman http://censemaking.com http://www.cense.ca