Doc.com: reviewing the literature on remote health information provision

Abstract

This paper attempts an overview of the literature on issues relating to the electronic provision of health information for the consumer, to provide a context for current work being undertaken by the Internet Studies Research Group (ISRG) examining the impact of various electronic platforms. Reasons why there has been an increase in interest and demand for health information and issues such as information need, take-up and use, are elicited from the literature, and discussed with regard to previous research and the findings from the group’s own studies. Problems inherent in electronic provision, such as the dissemination of unregulated information, and barriers to information take-up, are examined in depth. The review concludes with an outline of the implications of the issues for both the current and future work of the ISRG and the wider research community.