title: Consumer health information. What the research is telling us.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Consumer health information is a necessary component of patient care and consumer participation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To outline the findings of the 'Assessing the Quality of Consumer Health Information Project' and discuss strategies for improving consumer information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pamphlets identified in this study were not developed with consumer input with consequent deficits apparent. Providers and consumers appeared to use the information for very different purposes but both groups were critical of the ambiguous terminology and lack of quantified data. The provision of relevant information is a fundamental prerequisite of consumer participation in decision making in health care. Such information needs to be available, accurate, and understandable.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Effectiveness, Monash Institute of Public Health, Monash Medical Centre, Victoria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajendran
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spink
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003256:Community Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services / Q000592:standards*; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011287:Prejudice; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D016896:Treatment Outcome