CHARTING CONSUMER HEALTH The Information Prescription: Just What the Doctor Ordered!

摘要

The Information Prescription or Information Rx project has been of interest to health care professionals and librarians for almost a decade. It began with the simple idea of linking patients to high-quality, reliable online health information written in plain language so that the patient could make better decisions affecting his or her own health. This task is accomplished by having the health care provider write an "information prescription " that leads the patient to an authoritative online resource for additional information about a disease, condition, or surgical procedure. This project has been most popular in the United States and the United Kingdom with varied success. One impediment to the success of this concept has been physicians' reluctance to add this task to their already heavy work load. The project could have an even greater impact if there were better promotion, increased training, and increased Internet access along with online searching assistance for patients seeking health information.