In todays media age there is health information everywhere. Which leaves false information easily accessed, misunderstood, and widely spread. It seems as if everyone on social media has completed a quick google search (sometimes seems not even that much) and is suddenly an expert. For example, a few years ago it seemed everyone was talking about and sharing (anyone else remember this??) that flossing does nothing for your dental health… I (and every other dental professional) could rant for hours how beneficial adequate brushing & flossing is for everyone but I will spare you all the lecture lol However people seemed to accept this information because it was so widely spread.
Being a dental hygienist I would say I have two types of professional health information. First is information specific to dentistry. What is this dental anomaly I am seeing? How do I navigate this patient issue I am experiencing? The Second would be any general health concerns or medical conditions a patient presents with (that doesn't impact their care, i am just curious to learn more), or something that I or family member is experiencing.
If I am looking to find oral health information for work, I of course initially try to recall what information I can. From there, I will often refer to textbooks or lectures that colleagues have prepared that I have access to. Dalhousie has an entirely online textbook library provided to both students & faculty that comes in so handy. I also turn to colleagues if they have any resources or expertise to share. From there if I am looking for more specific information I would generally search pubmed and for Canadian or American dental journals.
When looking for general health information my first step is to recall anything I may have learned from my education, or that I learned along the way. If that fails (which it usually does – we don’t have an abundance of ‘general’ health issue education in hygiene), I have to admit, my next step is to google the topic. However, I do feel that my resources from there are refined, and are (hopefully) from more trustworthy sources. If it’s a simple question I typically trust the google made answer. If I am looking for more details I tend to use websites I am familiar with, or that I know as a reputable source. My partner & his brother work in healthcare (more 'direct' healthcare than dental), so I often rely on them to confirm any questions/concerns I may have found resources for. For the most part, the general information I find on the ‘reputable’ sites I use they agree with. (which makes me feel better about my googling lol)
When initially thinking about this assignment and considering my information storage I realized that I have several ways of storing information for later use. Some things I add to notes in my phone, some are screenshots I have saved in a file on my desktop (some screenshots also favourited in the camera roll on my phone), some information from courses/webinars I have taken are scribbled in a notepad on my desk, some things I print to keep with me in a binder while I am in the student clinic, others I write on stickies/reference pages to have quick access to at work while treating a patient. I don’t think I would necessarily benefit from one communal way of storing information.. I need different information at different times. If I stored everything on my personal desktop at home I would not have quick access while in private practice treating a patient, or access when I need to quickly refer to something in the student clinic.
After discussing with classmates, and exploring options I started thinking how i could organize notes, links, articles and resources in a more communal space. One of my biggest concerns was being able to access things in on different devices, as i do not always have my laptop, or a print source with me as I work in different settings/areas. I discovered Notability (thanks to my partner for sharing his organizational tools)! It is unfortunately an application that you have to purchase, however I do believe it costs less than $3.00 for a new purchase. I now have it on my desktop, iPad, and phone that it is able to quickly sync between! Which means realistically i will have access to the information wherever i am.
It is easy to organize, you're able to make folders and then sub-folders inside of those. Its also very easy to insert photos & tables - which i find on some platforms adding an image is a task in itself as it changes all of the font, spacing, and arrangement. You're also able to add a PDF and write notes on! Which has already turned out to be very helpful, especially with knitting patterns! I am still going to keep a ‘clinic binder’ with print resources, and use my sticky note system when treating patients in private practice... however I think this organization method will work great for all other information that i need a ‘longer version’ for reference.
コメント