Much of our work over the last decade has been around producing health information websites that are accessible, usable and reliable, but what does this mean if the audience are the UK general public?
Two key challenges are:
- Raising the level of knowledge that the general public have about health research and
- Teaching skills to help people become more discerning when they are presented with often exaggerated messages about the benefits of treatments.
We have been involved in a new project since last summer, which we hope will have a big impact on the knowledge and skills of the general public, when it comes to reading and understanding health research. The Network to Support Understanding of Health Research (NSUHR) was set up by an international group of stakeholders including patients, care givers, health professionals, commissioners, researchers and educators.
The NSUHR website features all sorts of books, videos, websites and games that aim to help the public become more critical users of health research. It also features reviews of these resources and the opportunity for anyone to share their own resources.
Check out the website at www.nsuhr.net and get involved!