ASSESSMENT OF AWARENESS, USE AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION TO HEPATITIS PATIENTS FOR HEALTH LITERACY BY LIBRARIANS IN SPECIALIST HOSPITALS IN NORTH-CENTRAL, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study was on the assessment of awareness, use and information dissemination to hepatitis patients for health literacy by librarians in specialist hospitals in North-central, Nigeria. The study was guided by seven objectives and seven corresponding research questions. Among the objectives of the study were to: find out types of information resources and services available in specialist hospital libraries in North-central, Nigeria, identify types of information resources and services provided by librarians to hepatitis patients for health literacy in North-central, Nigeria, the factors affecting the level of health literacy among the hepatitis patients in North-central, Nigeria to mention but a few. Survey research design was adopted for the study. The total population for the study was 1,700 hepatitis patients and 20 medical librarians in the specialist hospitals studied. The sample size of the population was 313 drawn from Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size table for determining the sample size of a population. Questionnaire and observation checklist were the instruments used for data collection. Out of 313 copies of questionnaire administered, 254 copies were filled, returned and used for the analysis. Descriptive statistical tool involving frequency counts and percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study revealed that the types of information resources and services available in the specialist hospitals were books, professional journals, newspapers, posters/handbills, newsletters, dictionaries, conference proceedings, encyclopedias, library orientation service to mention but few. Similarly, medical librarians disseminated information to hepatitis patients mainly through posters/fliers/handbills with (x̅=3.33; SD=0.83) value, library websites with (x̅=2.96; SD=0.46) value, conferences with (x̅=3.00; SD=0.50) value and workshops and seminars with (x̅=3.20; SD=0.70) value to enhance their health literacy on hepatitis virus. The study revealed further that inadequate awareness of information resources and services with (x̅=2.99; SD=0.49) value, inadequate current information resources on hepatitis with (x̅=3.08; SD=0.58) value and inadequate search skill and limited number of skilled librarians with (x̅=3.27; SD=0.77) value were factors affecting the level of health literacy among hepatitis patients in the study areas. The study recommended among others that the management of specialist hospitals in North-central, Nigeria should provide or install Internet services as well as extend their services to the use of e-mail, Short Message Services (SMS) in meeting the information needs of hepatitis patients and other groups of library users, the management of special libraries should create awareness of their information resources and services through library orientation, organising conferences, workshops and seminar to enlighten the users especially on Internet resources, medical standard and guidelines, newsletter and encyclopedia and how they can be used to meet the information need of hepatitis patients.