A preliminary consumer health information-seeking (CHI-seeking) behavior model of physicians who treat elderly depressed patients (results from the pilot study of a dissertation proposal)

Abstract

Despite useful studies that report the information-seeking behaviors of physicians who use the Internet, or physicians’ clinical information-searching skills (such as evidencebased medicine), little literature highlights physicians’ consumer health informationseeking behavior. Where does a physician get information to give to the patient or to a caregiver? In a rapidly growing market of consumer health information, what does a physician offer patients today? This poster describes pilot research, methodology and expectations of a study designed to investigate information-seeking behaviors of primary care physicians who treat elderly depressed patients. A main objective is to reveal a correlation between what information is sought versus what is provided to a patient or caregiver. This study identifies a specific population, senior health consumers, and investigates the steps their front-line outpatient caregivers (primary care or family practice physicians) take in order to make sure their patients have the information they need to understand their illnesses and to take part in a shared decision-making process with regard to their treatment. The study attempts to uncover the consumer informationseeking habits of primary care physicians who see large populations of elderly depressed patients. Primary research questions include: 1. How are these physicians searching for consumer health information? 2. How are physicians responding to health information requests from their patients or caregivers? 3. Can a consumer health information-seeking model that is significant for the medical and LIS professions be constructed?