PH152T: Health Information Access and Management

Certification Course: Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS)

PH152T: Health Information Access and Management (3-unit)

Students will acquire the skills and knowledge needed to become confident and expert providers of health information to their communities, while staying current with developments in consumer health information resources, technologies, and services. In partnership with the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), this course is certified to provide students with the Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) certification. Currently, Fresno State is the first and only institution in California to offer this credential.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of how information systems, technologies, health literacy, and communication strategies intersect in health informatics. It encourages critical thinking, practical application, and problem-solving skills to address real-world complexities of health information management, focusing on access, utilization, and ethical handling of information to promote health equity and advance health outcomes across diverse populations and contexts. This certification is a valuable opportunity for students to develop essential skills in providing health information services to consumers, which are recognized by future employers as reliable and highly relevant in the field.

Course Goals: This course aims to equip students with the ability to understand the importance of health information behaviors in healthcare, apply effective health literacy strategies, interventions, and effectively address and counter misinformation within health communication.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Locate, evaluate, and use effectively pertinent information resources to support their research objectives in healthcare.
• Understand how people's health information behaviors impact decision-making and healthcare results.
• Develop effective methods to enhance people's comprehension of health information, irrespective of their backgrounds.
• Identify misinformation in healthcare to assist people in making informed healthcare choices.

Topics:

• Health Information Behaviors
• Factors Affecting Health Information Choices
• Tailoring Health Information for Diverse Audiences
• Graphic Medicine 
• Health and Interactive Media
• Serious Games and Gamification in Healthcare
• Data Collection and Analysis in Health Information
• Understanding Misinformation in Health Communication
• Strategies for Accurate Health Information Dissemination
• Ethics and Privacy in Health Information

Course Syllabus

Course on MEDLIB-ED