I am doing some research into how people access health information. I am a medical librarian, and I was recently asked a difficult question by a patient, which ran contrary to what the consultant was advising. The patient was using the Internet wisely, but I was unable to answer the question. This raised a series of questions about my position. Is my responsibility to the patient or to the hospital or to the consultant? What if I was to give out the wrong advice? I am now wondering if public librarians face the same dilemmas.
If you have a few moments, please could you answer the following questions?
1. Do you ever have to answer health information enquiries from the general public?
2. Do you feel confident that you can answer health-related questions?
3. What sources do you use for health information?
4. If you have answered queries from people suffering from a health condition, would you mind if I contacted you privately to find out more about your experiences?
I will anonymise all responses. I would just like to provide an overview of the current situation in public librarians regarding consumer health information.
Thank you for your help with this. Do get in touch if you have any questions.
With best wishes, from,
Caroline De Brún
Research student – Coventry University
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