title: Information prescriptions, 1930-2013: an international history and comprehensive review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recently, government agencies in several countries have promoted information prescription programs to increase patients' understanding of their conditions. The practice has a long history and many publications, but no comprehensive literature reviews such as this.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a variety of high-precision and high-recall strategies, the researcher searched two dozen online bibliographic databases, citation databases, and repositories, as well as many print sources, to identify and retrieve documents for review. Of these documents, ninety relevant English-language case reports, research reports, and reviews published from 1930-2013 met the study criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early to mid-twentieth century reports covered long-standing practices and used no rigorous research methods. The literature since the mid-1990s reports on short-term trial projects, especially of government-sponsored programs in the United States and United Kingdom. Although the concept of information prescription has been in the literature and practiced for decades, no long-term research studies were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the literature is anecdotal concerning small pilot projects. The reports investigate physician, patient, and librarian satisfaction but not changes in patient knowledge or behavior. Many twenty-first century projects emphasize materials and projects from specific government agencies and commercial enterprises.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While the practice is commonly believed to be a good idea and there are many publications on the subject, few studies provide any evidence of the efficacy of information prescriptions for increased patient knowledge. Well-designed and executed large or long-term studies might produce needed evidence for professional practice.
authors.affiliation: , mmck@lsu.edu , Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Louisiana State University, 279 Coates Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
authors.forename: Michelynn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McKnight
mesh_terms: D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000266:history; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000266:history; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007998:Library Science / Q000266:history; D007999:Library Services / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data