Infoxication in health. Health information overload on the Internet and the risk of important information becoming invisible/Infoxicacion en salud. La sobrecarga de informacion sobre salud en la web y el riesgo de que lo importante se haga invisible/Infoxicacao em saude. A sobrecarga de informacao em saude na internet e o risco de ficar invisivel o que e importante

• Published in: Revista panamericana de salud pública 2017-09, Vol.41 (6)
• Main Authors: D'Agostino, Marcelo, Mejia, Felipe Medina, Ma, Novillo-O, Hazrum, Flavio, de Cosio, Federico G
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1020-4989

Objective. The objectives of this study were to: 1) raise awareness of the volume of quality health information on the Internet; 2) explore perceptions of information professionals with regard to the use of qualified sources for health decision-making; and 3) make recommendations that facilitate strengthening health worker capacities and institutional competencies related to digital literacy. Methods. A non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with a non-probability sample of 32 information professionals from nine countries. Internet information was compiled on the volume of content in Internet tools, social networks, and health information sources. Searches in English and Spanish were carried out using the keywords Ebola, Zika, dengue, chikungunya, safe food, health equity, safe sex, and obesity. Finally, information was obtained on opportunities for formal education on the subjects of digital literacy, information management, and other related topics. Results. Selecting only four diseases with a high impact on public health in May 2016 and averaging minimum review time for each information product, it would take more than 50 years without sleeping to consult everything that is published online about dengue, Zika, Ebola, and chikungunya. Conclusion. We conclude that public health would benefit from: health institutions implementing formal knowledge management strategies; academic health sciences institutions incorporating formal digital literacy programs; and having health workers who are professionally responsible and functional in the information society. Keywords Information centers; confidentiality; information services; information theory; medical informatics; data display; information storage and retrieval; information science. Objetivo. Este estudio tiene como objetivos 1) crear conciencia del volumen de informacion en salud existente en la web de calidad, 2) explorar la percepcion de profesionales de la informacion con relacion al uso de fuentes cualificadas en la toma de decisiones en salud, y 3) presentar recomendaciones que permitan fortalecer las capacidades de los trabajadores de la salud y las competencias institucionales relacionadas con la alfabetizacion digital. Metodos. Se realizo un estudio no experimental descriptivo transversal con una muestra no probabilistica de 32 profesionales de la informacion de nueve paises. Se recopilo informacion de internet sobre el volumen de contenidos existentes en herramientas we