To implement Knowledge into Action people need to be information literate, digital literate and to understand the importance of health literacy. This section highlights opportunties to develop these skills, in reality they are all interdependant - to find information you need to have digital skills as the resources are generally online. There are sections on general literacy and basic IT skills to signpost some of the opportunities available to staff.
There is a short elearning to introduce the implementation of Knowledge into Action including some early examples. It will take about 30 mns to go through the learnign and listen to the video. Access the elearning module here.
Within healthcare information literacy as a term is less common, it is often referred to as evidence based medicine (EBM). To practice EBM a practitioner needs to have information literacy skills. There are a number of definitions and models for information literacy. NHS Education Scotland’s definition of information literate person is:
“An information literate person can recognise an information need and is able to apply the set of transferable skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to find, retrieve, assess, manage and apply information in any situation, throughout life.
Information literacy supports individual and organisational learning, creativity and innovation and contributes to improved healthcare delivery through a continuously evolving, reliable information base.”
An information literate person can recognise an information need and is able to apply the set of transferable skills, attitudes and behaviours needed to find, retrieve, assess, manage and apply information in any situation, throughout life. K2A supports individual and organisational learning, creativity and innovation and contributes to the improved delivery of healthcare and social care through a continuously evolving, reliable information base.
A reasonable level of ability and confidence with IT is usually also expected, see Digital skills section below.
This guidance supports the development of these skills.
This tool has been developed to aid the understanding of health research. It guides you through a series of questions to help you to review and interpret a published health research paper.
Information literacy is closely linked with digital literacy. UNESCO defines digital literacy as a life skill:
“Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have penetrated all areas of contemporary life. In this context, digital literacy has become much more than the ability to handle computers – just like traditional literacy and numeracy, it comprises a set of basic skills which include the use and production of digital media, information processing and retrieval, participation in social networks for creation and sharing of knowledge, and a wide range of professional computing skills.”
“Digital literacy is an umbrella concept for important skill clusters whose names are often used as synonyms; their content, however, is not exactly the same. ICT literacy refers to a set of user skills that enable active participation in a society where services and cultural offerings are computer-supported and distributed on the internet. Technological literacy (previously called computer literacy) entails a deeper understanding of digital technology and comprises both user and technical computing skills. Information literacy focuses on one of the key aspects of our Knowledge Society: the ability to locate, identify, retrieve, process and use digital information optimally.
UNESCO Policy Briefing : Digital Literacy in Education, May 2011
Support for basic IT skills are signposted below.
Health literacy is about people having enough knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to use health information, to be active partners in their care and to navigate health and social care systems (Making it Easy: a health literacy action plan for Scotland).
The Health Literacy Place website is a resource for all health and social care staff in Scotland to make use of to assist them in supporting and improving health literacy. The site provides resources and information such as:
To find out more about health literacy there are a range of awareness raising and training opportunities available via NHS Education for Scotland and other agencies and local boards. Please visit the Learning and Development pages of the website by clicking here.
You can find more information about what health literacy is and why it is important to people working in health and social care in a leaflet which can be found here.
Health Literacy Place is a website developed by NHS Education for Scotland and Scottish Government to promote health literacy.
Help with Literacy
BBC Skillwise
The BBC Skillwise pages have a variety of resources to help support adult literacy.
NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
NES have created an adult literacies portal to support NHSScotland staff, patients and service users improve their skills in reading, writing, number, English language and computing
Six Book Challenge
One in six adults struggles to read. Reading Ahead improves the chances in life for people who find reading difficult.
Words for Life
An assortment of sources of support for adults needing help with reading is available from Words for Life
Help with Numeracy
A series of short online courses to help you with 'sums', manage your money better and help your children.
The Skills Workshop allows you to choose your learning level and subject area to find resources to suit your learning needs.
The BBC Skillswise website has a series of pages dealing with numeracy
We have created a series of short, instructional videos to help you improve your information and digital literacy skills. These cover:
You can watch the videos on our playlists via Vimeo, Youtube or watch in your browser.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about any of these topics, olease contact us at Knowledge Services or on Twitter @NESKnowledge
Help with IT
The Office 365 Training Center provides guidance to get you started with basic IT skills and using familiar packages like Excel and Word.
Free Basic Computer Training
Free Bite-Size Computer Tips for Beginners
Incorporates tips on : Basic Computer Words ; What Happens When You Save ; What is a File? ; File Naming Rules ; Mouse Help ; Network, Internet, & URLs ; Turning Off The Computer ; Virus Hoaxes and Hoax Checking LINKS among other topics.
Another option is Learn My Way free online courses.
Basic digital skills framework and assess your skills with GO ON UK.
Internet for Social Work
Internet Social Worker is a free online tutorial to help university students develop their Internet research skills.