I was just reading over a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project on how patients with chronic conditions are using the Internet to educate themselves about their health care issues.  The results are interesting (and a little scary), and provide some of the best evidence I’ve seen in a while for why librarians are needed to help people sift through all that’s available out there on the Web.  Here are a few findings that grabbed me:

  • 75% of e-patients with chronic conditions say the information they found in their last search affected a decision about how to treat an illness or condition, compared with 55% of e-patients who report no disability or illness.
  • 31% of e-patients with chronic conditions say they felt frustrated by a lack of information or an inability to find what they were looking for online, compared with 20% of e-patients who report no chronic conditions.
  • 65% of e-patients with chronic conditions say they check the source and date “only sometimes,” “hardly ever,” or “never.”

Question:  How is your library helping health care information seekers?

Check out the rest of the study at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/EPatients_Chronic_Conditions_2007.pdf