Health Information on the Internet: A Study of Providers, Quality, and Users

Citation

Voigt, K. (2007), "Health Information on the Internet: A Study of Providers, Quality, and Users", Online Information Review, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 246-248. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520710747293

The focus of this book is the research and developing theory on the topic of health information on the internet. It is not a compilation of web addresses on health information; some web sites are, however, mentioned, e.g. in the context of explaining a particular type of information or as an example for information providers.

The book consists of eight chapters. Chapter 1, “Health information on the internet”, is more or less an introduction to the topic. Health information on the Internet is defined as any information related to the practice of medicine and healthcare. Quite remarkable is the sub‐section on the economic structures that underlie health information on the Internet. Chapter 2, “The structure of knowledge related to health information on the internet”, discusses different types and formats of information, e.g. e‐journals and e‐books as well as the debate on Open Access in this field. Chapter 3, “Accessing health information on the internet”, looks at some of the major web‐based health information services and the ways in which they provide access to information.

In Chapter 4 the issues of quality and lack of quality are discussed. Furthermore, evaluation systems which are developed to ensure the quality of health information on the internet are introduced. Chapter 5 is devoted to the needs of health professionals, their information‐seeking behaviour and their contentment with the information retrieved. Chapter 6, “Consumer health information on the internet”, focuses on the patients and their concerns with respect to their information needs and to what extent the information found meets their needs. Chapter 7, “Telemedicine and online medical services”, is about bringing people together over the barriers of distance, skill, and time through information technology. Related topics, e.g. online medical services, e‐mail consultations between doctors and patients, are discussed here. Finally, in Chapter 8, “Future trends and challenges”, the author treats modern technologies being used, e.g. PDAs and mobile information systems, and also the topic of including the demand to meet the information needs of health care providers in developing countries, and initiatives being taken to support this.

This book is a very comprehensive and scientifically elaborated study on the topic of health information on the internet. It covers various aspects of the topic (as mentioned above) which enlarge the readers' knowledge on the subject to a considerable extent. This work can be regarded as a new and unique reference work in the field of health information on the internet. However, it has to be made very clear that it is not a compilation of web pages on the topic of health information; the only chapter where a few sites are mentioned and discussed is Chapter 3.

I consider this to be an excellent work on the selected topics noted above for the target groups of information specialists, librarians, computer scientists, physicians etc. Concerning the patient target group, I am of the opinion that the book is too difficult to read. It has also should be noted that discussion focuses principally on English‐speaking countries, and the vast market of Europe is only touched in parts. Other important countries with respect to health information, e.g. China, India, Japan, and Russia, only to name a few, are missing. Therefore, the work should have been subtitled, A Study of Providers, Quality and Users in English‐Speaking Countries.

I would like to encourage the author to extend her well‐structured and well‐written study to other countries and start a series of books on the extremely important topic of health information on the internet.