Credible Medical Sources

Many sources exist to find information such as TV, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and medical journals, to name a few. Learning how to evaluate sources of media can be an important skill to make the best decisions for your health care or the health care of your family. How do you know if a source is credible, and what can we do to counteract medical misinformation? This misinformation may be tailored around personal beliefs and bias.SHOW LESSWithout our awareness, we are constantly preventing, detecting, and fighting health threats every day. Medical advice can come with a cost. What can we do for prevention? Maintaining your health can keep you out of the doctor’s office and save you money. We will take a closer look to have more awareness about our well-being related to our nutrition, body, and environment.

Competency Map

CHECK YOUR PROGRESSUse this online tool to track your performance and progress through your course.

Resources

Review the Human Body Systems Organization infographic to reexamine the body systems and how they must work together to maintain a healthy body.There exists widespread medical and health-related misinformation in the news, specifically via magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and social media outlets. This misinformation may be tailored around personal beliefs and bias.Read the following articles below to understand the importance of your knowledge and awareness of misinformation about news being published for wide audiences:

• Chou, W. S., Oh, A., & Klein, W. M. P. (2018). Addressing health-related misinformation on social media. Journal of the American Medical Association, 320(23), 2417–2418.
• Vogel, L. (2017). Viral misinformation threatens public health. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 189(50), E1567.
• Erol, Ç. (2019). “Medical misinformation – Vet the message.” Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, 21(2), 57–59.
• Merchant, R. M., & Asch, D. A. (2018). Protecting the value of medical science in the age of social media and “fake news.” Journal of the American Medical Association, 320,(23), 2415–2416.

1. Credible Source Checklist: Determining accurate or inaccurate information can be difficult; however, there are some key tricks to determine what might be a credible source when you are doing research. For this activity you will need to locate two Internet sources that you use for researching health-related conditions and determine if they are credible. These sources can then be used for your final assessment in the course.
2. APA Quiz: To help you prepare your final assessment, APA formatting will be required for the resources you find. In this activity you will check your knowledge of APA formatting.
3. APA Tutorial: To check your knowledge on how to cite references for the final assessment you may also want to try this activity.

Assessment Instructions

Overview

We all learn about medical information on the news and in media. At some point, we have all heard about health-related information in the media or looked up symptoms on the Internet; however, how do we know if our search is accurate? How do we know if what we hear is true?

Part One: Readings and Analysis

For this assignment, you will create a presentation in which you provide a critical analysis of a time in which you were influenced by inaccurate information, or you found accurate information through the media that helped you or someone you know. Your audience can be informal, such as a friend or family member, or formal, such as a coworker or attendees at a conference presentation. Include the following:

1. Identify a time when the media or the Internet influenced you either with accurate information or inaccurate information.
2. Explain the following regarding the selected topic.
   • Where did you learn about this topic? For example, did you see this in a movie, book, or other media, or did you search for information yourself on the Internet?
   • What specific symptoms or prevention methods did you identify?
3. Find one or more additional sources to support how you determined if the information was inaccurate or accurate.
4. Explain how you determined if you found either inaccurate or accurate information about the topic by locating resources and evaluating the credibility of the main source.
5. Use the Media Misinformation Source Evaluation Form [DOCX] to evaluate the credibility of the article chosen.

Part Two: Presentation

Create a presentation in which you provide a critical analysis of your findings. You may choose the format of your presentation. Some suggestions are:

1. A 6–12 slide PowerPoint presentation (or another choice of presentation software) with audio. Here are tutorials from Skillsoft to help you with creating PowerPoint presentations using Windows or Mac:
   • Skillsoft. (n.d.). PowerPoint Office 365 (Windows): Creating presentation [Tutorial].
     • Running time: 55:00.
   • Skillsoft. (n.d.). Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 for Mac: Building and structuring a presentation[Tutorial].
     • Running time: 51:00.
   • If you need to insert graphics, audio content, or video content into a PowerPoint presentation, you may find this tutorial helpful:
     • Skillsoft. (n.d.). Working with graphic, audio, and video content in PowerPoint 2016 [Tutorial].
       • Running time: 58:00.
2. A 6–12 slide presentation recorded using Kaltura, a program offered by Capella that records audio and video. Refer to Using Kaltura for more information.
3. A short podcast that includes a written transcript.

Presentation Requirements

Your presentation should meet the following requirements:

• Length of recording: 5–8 minutes.
• Length of slideshow (if using): 6–12 slides.
• Format: The format you choose for your presentation must be one that your instructor can access for review and grading. Do not submit files from nonstandard software programs. You can reference Capella’s Computer Requirements for more information about our standard software programs. Depending on the format you choose, upload or attach your presentation to the assignment area or provide a link in the submission box. Make sure to give your instructor access to the recording if necessary.

Refer to the assignment scoring guide before you submit your presentation to ensure you meet all expectations for this assignment.Note: If you use assistive technology or any alternative communication methods to participate in this activity, please contact DisabilityServices@Capella.edu with any access-related questions or to request accommodations.

Competencies Measured

• Competency 4: Produce text with minimal grammar, usage, spelling, and mechanical errors.
  • Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
  • Create a presentation to demonstrate your critical analysis of the findings.
• Competency 3: Evaluate human biological concepts portrayed in the media.
  • Locate one or more additional resources to support your reason for choosing the method(s) of counteracting health information.
  • Evaluate the credibility of the chosen article, using the provided form.
  • Identify a media or Internet topic that is accurate or inaccurate.
  • Explain what was learned about the selected topic.
  • Describe the specific symptoms or prevention methods identified.
  • Explain how you determined if the topic information was accurate or inaccurate.