Medical advice overload
A way of handling endless medical advice in the age of the internet will be tested as part of new research.
A Massey University PhD student is testing a new way of dealing with information overload when making healthcare decisions.
Yi-Mei Huang has developed a programme that guides patients through a step-by-step process to improve the way they deal with large volumes of information.
Huang said ‘‘personal knowledge management’’ was a process to help people to manage large amounts of information.
It was designed to help people improve critical thinking skills.
‘‘In a health context it could really help patients to absorb information without generating confusion, leading to better, more confident decision-making,’’ she said.
Huang is seeking participants to help be involved in her research.
‘‘I am looking for people who are facing a medical treatment decision, such as for diabetes or other chronic health issues, and are feeling confused and struggling with a large amount of treatment information.’’
Participants would gain insights, including strategies for managing information and making important decisions. She stressed it was an educational programme, not a healthcare advisory programme.
Her PhD supervisor Dr David Pauleen, from Massey University’s School of Management, said the research could have useful implications for the health sector.
‘‘Information can often be contradictory and it can be hard to locate the material that is of most use – traditional methods of managing and evaluating information are no longer suited to the digital age.’’
People interested in participating in the research project must be facing a medical treatment decision but must be able to give informed consent. Participants in the research must be aged 18 years or over and able to commit to weekly twohour training sessions for five weeks.
The programme will be run in a month’s time.