Trust and Sources of Health Information

Abstract

The environment in which patients consume medical and health information has changed dramatically during the past decade. Rapid diffusion of Internet technology within the public sphere has placed an unprecedented amount of health information within reach of general consumers.^1-4 Advances in information-tailoring tools and telemedicine have broadened the reach of health care specialists beyond the constraints of the traditional office.^5-7 Increases in patient advocacy and consumerism have prompted pharmaceutical companies to launch direct-to-consumer advertising campaigns, while entertainment and the news media play host to an ever-increasing breadth of health and illness discussions.⁸ At the same time, concerns over a digital divide, due to the uneven diffusion of health technologies, merit close monitoring by the federal government.⁹