Health informatics journal
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Health Informatics J · Jun 2010
ReviewThe public and the Internet: multifaceted drives for seeking health information.
The aim of this study was to gain insight into people's drives, or motives, for seeking health information on the Internet. A systematic literature review, restricted to handbooks and reviews, was conducted by searching the databases of various disciplines. ⋯ Based on these results, three hypotheses were generated for future research: (1) drives are interconnected and may be present simultaneously in the process of seeking information; (2) they not only serve as antecedents for the need for information, but are present throughout the entire information-seeking process; (3) they are subject to change throughout the information-seeking process. Various drives play a role in the health information-seeking process.