ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights a number of important issues pertaining to the provision of electronic health information, ranging from information needs studies to usability and accessibility issues, authority and trust, and impacts and outcomes. The information needs literature suggests a huge variation, both in needs and propensity to seek information. A paucity of literature exists with regard to patient and public satisfaction with information found by electronic means. An issue related to usability is the readability and understandability of information retrieved or, more generally, the issue of health literacy. Readability tests have been carried out on consumer health information resources for many years, the majority of studies involving hard-copy information resources. Research into electronic communication by various patient groups also indicated positive outcomes. Networked digital information services are excellent facilitators of communication, and have been shown to meet the needs identified in the literature for people to obtain information, advice and support from others in similar situations.
