The Metis project—education for health: a project report

Abstract

Medical practice has changed since the classical paternalistic model to nowadays. Currently, the patient assumes a more important role in the decision making on health issues. Autonomy is a challenge both for the patient and for the doctor. It implies better knowledge, able to be applied in the acquisition of attitudes and skills toward a better health. Patients get information from many other ways complementary to the doctor–patient direct communication. Internet is one of the favorite sources of information but fails too often. We describe the Metis project, a web-based intervention for health education aiming to improve literacy for Portuguese speaking people. The Metis project develops in five complementary axes: evidence-based information, accessibility, generalization, leadership and ethical commitment. Basically, this project provides scientific rigorous health information in a clear language, understandable by the general population, unaccustomed to medical jargon. We use the internet and social networks to reach our target, improving the quality of the available information, and several other strategies to lead people to appropriate the contents and to be more conscious and truly free when they have to decide between the different options in daily life. In conclusion, electronic communication is the current favorite source of health information. However, we can easily identify numerous problems that must be addressed so it can be a real ally for the healthcare providers. The Metis project addresses some of them in a real contribution toward a better health literacy.