Health information from the web - assessing its quality: a KET intervention

The World Wide Web has been recognized as a significant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to educate and empower consumers by providing information on their health problems, prevention/management of diseases and related health services. It has the ability to reach those with limited access to information, potential for online support/interaction, access to volumes of information on a wide breadth of topics and the ability for people to access information when needed or "in real-time". Information professionals and healthcare providers have become aware that consumers are increasingly using the web for meeting their health information needs. However, concerns remain about the potential effects of seeking health information on the web for health matters as consumers tend to be non-clinical and may not be able to judge the quality of online health information resources. The purpose of this pilot Knowledge Exchange and Transfer (KET) project was to develop a tool (Information Brochure) that could be used by consumers to empower and to help them identify higher-quality web health information. A structured process was used for the development of the KET intervention. Consumer feedback and evaluation confirmed that the intervention can be useful to increase knowledge about their health conditions, better communications with healthcare providers and assist in making decisions about their own health.