What is the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal and how is it relevant to public health?

Maureen DobbinsProfessor and Scientific Director, National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools, McMaster University

Health Evidence Webinar Series

January 21 1:00-2:30pm EDT

Poll Question #1

How often do your older clients (aged 50+) use

the internet to get health information?

A. Everyday

B. Once per week or more

C. Once per month or more

D. Less than once per month

Who is the Portal for?

Why?

McMaster

Optimal Aging Portal

Best Evidence/

Evidence Summaries

Web Resource Ratings

Blog PostsSearch & Browse

Email Alerts

Components

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Contributors - Platforms

Contributors - Researchers

Brian HaynesParminder RainaMaureen DobbinsJohn LavisAnthony Levinson

Key ContentEvidence Summaries, Web Resource Ratings,

Blog Posts and Email Alerts

Evidence Summaries

What are they?

Key messages from scientific research

Written in plain language

Why are they useful?

Translated from our jargon

Ready to be acted on

Web Resource Ratings

What are they?

Evaluations of health resources on the internet

Why are they useful?

Help you know which web-based resources are

based on scientific research

Web Resource Rater: Overview

Three stages of Web Resource Rating:

1. Assessing inclusion of websites

2. Assessing inclusion of web resources from

included websites

3. Assessing quality of included web resources

Web Resource Rater: Inclusion Criteria

Websites must be:

A. Not directly funded by a

company trying to sell you a

product or service

B. Relevant to optimal aging

C. Intended for citizens, or include

content intended for citizens

D. Free access

Web resources must be:

A. Not directly funded by a

company trying to sell you a

product or service

B. Relevant to optimal aging

C. Intended for citizens

D. Less than 5 years of age

Web Resource Rater: Quality Criteria

Included web resources are rated for quality by two

independent raters assessing: • Evidence-based: Is this information reliable, based on scientific research?

• Transparency: Is it clear who developed the resource and how?

• Usability: Is the information easy to understand and easy to use?

A ‘five-star’ overall rating is generated, weighted to favour

web resources that use research evidence

Web Resource Rater

Browse related topics

Direct link to the article

Summary message

Star rating (/5)

View rating criteria

Blog Posts

What are they?

Commentaries on what the research means

Why are they useful?

Translated from our jargon

Presented in article format

Blog Posts

Blog Posts

Content for professionals

What is it?

Best evidence databases for:

Clinicians

Public health professionals

Policymaker

Why is it useful?

Easy access to the latest aging research, rated for quality

Base your health care advice on solid evidence

Email alerts

What are they?

Lists of new content recently added to Portal

Sign up for weekly or monthly emails

Why are they useful?

Links in email take you directly to content

Keeps you up to date with new research

@Mac_AgingNews Twitter feed

What is it?

Outreach through the media about aging issues

Daily tweets about NEWS ‘hitting the headlines’ and related

EVIDENCE from the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal

Why is it useful?

News outlets cover lots of stories, emphasis usually on drama not substance.

Access to trustworthy evidence behind issues or advice in the news

Reliable answers to questions from your clients or patients

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@Mac_AgingNews Twitter feed

Finding ContentBrowse and Search

Browse topics

What is the browse function?

Look for Evidence Summaries, Web Resource

Ratings and Blog Posts by topic

Why is it useful?

We’ve categorized the content for you

Explore an area of interest

Browse topics

Search topics

What is the search function?

Enter search terms and search across citizen content

Also see results for professionals

Why is it useful?

Find more specific content

View relevant results for all types of content

Vitamins

Professional Search: Public Health

Search tips

Start your search using broad, general terms

“diabetes”, “exercise”, “depression”

If too many results, refine your search terms

“exercise and falls”, “diabetes and heart disease”

Check for results across databases

Poll Question #2

Did you find today’s webinar useful?

Yes

Somewhat

No

Poll Question #3

Do you plan on using the Portal in the future?

Yes

Maybe

No

Poll Question #4

Would you recommend the Portal to your family

and/or friends?

Yes

Maybe

No

Contact Information

Dr. Maureen Dobbins

dobbinsm@mcmaster.ca

905-525-9140 ext. 20455

59

www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org