Hello, Amelia!

Prior to HIT, you mentioned research methods. What a distinction! I recall spending hours in the library with my mother while she worked on her master’s degree. Around 20 years ago, I believe there was a single large computer or paper directory that only listed article names. Then you had to search through thousands of journals to find the article, then read it to see if it was even relevant to your own research. Microfilming was even more time-consuming! Remote online education would be meaningless without advancements in HIT. HIT has unquestionably improved the usability of research. However, â€the sheer volume of information does not, by itself, produce a more informed citizenry in the absence of complementary abilities to use this information effectively†(McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015, p. 412).

With so much information available to us, particularly through internet search engines, what advice would you give to a layperson †googlingâ€TM medical information in order to determine the informationâ€TMs validity?

Reference

D. McGonigle and K. G. Mastrian (2015). Nursing informatics and knowledge foundations (3rd ed.). Jones and Bartlett Learning, Burlington, MA.