1st Edition
Digital Health Information for the Consumer Evidence and Policy Implications
This unique book draws on research that constituted the first major nationwide evaluation of the use and impact of key digital health information platforms which were provided to thousands of health consumers in the UK. The authors offer the first comprehensive and detailed comparison of usage and impact of the three major ICT platforms delivering health information - the internet, touch-screen kiosks and digital interactive television. It provides an extensive reference source on how health consumers behave when online, whether this differs according to digital platform or type of user, how users perceive digital health services and what health benefits these services deliver. The book will be invaluable reading for all those interested in digital health information - students, academics, health policy-makers and information managers.
Biography
David Nicholas is Director of the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies at University College London, and also the Director of the UCL Centre for Publishing and the research group CIBER, University College London. Paul Huntington is a researcher at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies, University College London. Hamid Jamali is a research student and Peter Williams is a Research Fellow (CIBER) both at University College London.
'...a valuable instrument for a much wider public than that for which it was originally conceived...' Online Information Review, Vol 32, No 2, 2008 'The indexing, extensive data, explanations of the limitations of log analysis and illuminating discussions regarding information seeking behaviours make this a worthwhile purchase for some libraries and for health information developers.' CILIP Health libraries Group Newsletter, March 2008 'The research surrounding the use of health websites is staggering in scope and depth, providing a clear view and suggestions for future developments' CILIP Update May 2008 '... a valuable book and perhaps the only one to present such a wide range of thorough evaluative studies on mass provision of health information to the public. ... a very helpful and enlightening resource for researchers, policy makers and those who are interested in the issues around the provision and the evaluation of health information services.' Webology, 4(4), 2007 '...this is a valuable monograph, full of data of interest to the researcher, and methods that could be usefully applied elsewhere. It also contains important information for policy makers.' Library Hi Tech, Vol 26, No 4, 2008 '...health librarians and information workers will find plenty to chew on here.' Library Review
