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Both the Internet and social media have become important tools that patients and health professionals, including health professional students, use to obtain information and support their decision-making surrounding health care. Students in the health sciences require increased competence to select, appraise, and use online sources to adequately educate and support patients and advocate for patient needs and best practices. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if second year nursing students have the ability to critically identify and evaluate the quality of online health information through comparisons between student and expert assessments of selected online health information postings using an adapted Trust in Online Health Information scale. Interviews with experts provided understanding of how experts applied the selected criteria and what experts recommend for implementing nursing informatics literacy in curriculums. The difference between student and expert assessments of the quality of the online information is on average close to 40%. Themes from the interviews highlighted several possible factors that may influence informatics competency levels in students, specifically regarding the critical appraisal of the quality of online health information.

To increase the competency of undergraduate nursing students to find and evaluate online health information, a Digital Health Assignment was created for second year nursing students. Facebook was used as the assignment platform. Students chose and appraised social media postings regarding topics of interest for expecting families. Students utilized an adapted Trust in Online Health Information scale to appraise the social media postings, including the quality of information. At completion of the assignment, student evaluation surveys revealed the knowledge gained through the learning activity. Implications for nursing education are suggested.

Undergraduate students in the health professions such as nurses are accessing health information from the Internet and social media to inform decisions made in health care practice. Only a small percentage of students are able to adequately appraise the quality of the content of online health information, when they enter their undergraduate programs and this competency develops in the course of educational studies. To increase the competency of nursing students to search, evaluate, and use online health information appropriately as part of nursing practice and health care, nurse educators are challenged to develop strategies and integrate opportunities to teach, mentor, and have students practice informatics skills in undergraduate nursing curricula. The focus on information search and appraisal skills for nurses is emphasized in much of this chapter. Ongoing research may deepen the understanding of effective ways to increase informatics competencies in undergraduate nursing students and lead to a greater understanding of the use of the Internet and social media on health care and patient outcomes.

Purpose Tuberculosis (TB) elimination is an important US public health goal and improving the performance of TB surveillance and action and reducing the costs will help achieve it. But, there exists the need to better evaluate the performance and measure the costs. Methods We pilot tested an evaluation strategy in Hillsborough County, Florida using a conceptual framework of TB surveillance and action with eight core and four support activities. To evaluate performance, we developed indicators and validated their accuracy, usefulness, and measurability. To measure the costs, we obtained financial information. Results In 2001, Hillsborough County reported 78 (7%) of the 1145 Florida TB cases. Nineteen (24%) were previously arrested. While 13 (68%) of the 19 were incarcerated during the 2 years prior to being reported, only 1 (5%) of 19 was reported from the jail. From 111 TB suspects, 219 (25%) of 894 sputum specimens were inadequately collected. Of the $1.08 million annual budget, 22% went for surveillance, 29% for support, and 49% for action. Conclusions This conceptual framework allowed measurement of TB surveillance and action performance and cost. The evaluation performed using it revealed missed opportunities for detection of TB cases and wasted resources. This conceptual framework could serve as a model for evaluation of TB surveillance and action.

On May 2, 2013, a case of salmonellosis was reported to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient reported symptoms of diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and nausea, after attending a community college microbiology laboratory class. A second case was reported on May 8. Epidemiologic interviews conducted with both patients indicated common exposure at a community college, including one patient specifically naming the other patient.