Guiding patients through consumer health information

Going to the library used to be an adventure in books and other printed material. Doing research meant searching through the indexes to find the literature, exploring journal articles that were often in separate areas of the library, taking notes on index cards (especially in the days before readily accessible copiers), and finally waiting for weeks for an interlibrary loan request. Luckily, today many of the same resources are accessible with the click of a computer mouse. And though the digging process has been simplified, finding pertinent literature and research can still be a challenge.

This DISCERN instrument can be used by your patients to evaluate the reliability and quality of consumer health information. Share these 15 key questions, plus an overall quality rating with them so they can become involved in a shared decision-making process about their treatment choices.