Health Information
Health Literacy
• Achieving health literacy is a challenge regardless of educational background, due to highly specialized
language surrounding diagnoses, treatment options, medical tests, insurance coverage, compliance,
prescription drugs, etc.
The goal is to overcome these obstacles, so individuals can fi nd, understand, and utilize health
information to make well-informed choices about their health care.
• The consumer health library program plays an essential role in helping users locate, access, and evaluate
health/medical information.
Action Item
• Update health collections and website.
Prescription Drug Transparency
• Rising costs and increasing numbers of uninsured Americans have led policymakers to examine different
approaches to helping consumers better afford their medications. Some states have initiatives that increase
price transparency in their retail pharmacy markets. They have implemented websites that publish prices
charged by local pharmacies for certain prescription medications to help the public identify and purchase
from pharmacies offering the most competitive prices.
Action Item
• Sponsor state legislation.
Evidence-Based Resources for Public Health Decision-Making
• Develop capacity and infrastructure for a public health e-collection and resource center to serve
government administrators and regulators, policymakers, lawmakers, courts, corrections, medical
examiner, agriculture, public health and other state and non-profi t health service agencies
• An inextricable link exists between the availability of quality public health information and the well-being
of all Delawareans. Timely access to current public health information results in more effective management
of population health issues, better lifestyle decisions on the part of individuals, and better public policy
decisions at the State and county levels.
Action Item
• Locate place and space including capacity and infrastructure.
Improved Evidence-Based Clinical Information Delivery
• Reduces the disparity in access to licensed electronic clinical information in all hospitals
• Mitigating the access disparity improves patient outcomes and quality of care for all
Action Item
• Ensure equal access for all healthcare professionals.
The Impact of Libraries on
Health Information
