5.++Theory+Review

=Theory Review: The social context of medical information seeking=

Nick Moore (2002): A model of social information need ** Premise //** – individuals have a vast need for social information, that which resides apart from work or educational environments. Moore described the need for social information as having six dimensions: 1. Function (why do people need information?) 2. Form (what kind of information do people need?) 3. Clusters (what do people need information about?) 4. Agents (who initiates the information activity?) 5. Users (how do needs differ between different groups of people?) 6. Mechanisms (which mechanisms can be used to meet information needs?) Applied to Medical Information //** – Within the “Clusters” dimension, a need for medical information can be considered a major life event and necessitates an information search. Example //**: An individual may be facing a health symptom (such as knee pain) which they know nothing about. An information search might begin to provide insight into this medical issue. That search may then branch off into other search activities such as seeking an appropriate medical professional to assist you, confirming insurance coverage, seeking a support group, etc.
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Premise //** – our social worlds are made up of connections to others, some strong (family, friends) and some weak (acquaintances). Granovetter hypothesized that weak ties were more important because they bridged various social networks together and in doing so, broadened our access to information. Applied to Medical Information //** – When faced with a need for medical information, you may not have a close connection to someone that can help your search (strong tie). It is more likely that you will be connected through a weak tie. Think of this as a friend of a friend type of connection. Example //**: You may be interested in talking to someone about knee surgery but no one in your immediate circle has experienced knee surgery. It’s highly likely though, that someone in your circle knows someone who has. These weak ties can be valuable sources of information.
 * Mark Granovetter (1973): The strength of weak ties **
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Premise //** – individuals use various cognitive strategies to process information. When entering a search, we have a base of information and change our knowledge structures by appending, inserting or deleting. Todd also described 5 effects of exposure to information: 1. Get a complete picture 2. Get a changed picture 3. Get a verified picture 4. Get a clearer picture 5. Get a position in a picture Applied to Medical Information //** – Often when seeking medical information, we already have some knowledge base of information however big or small. We then integrate new information into our base. Example //**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: An individual may be diagnosed with torn meniscus in their knee of which they have some knowledge from a newspaper report or internet article, through a friend or family member, etc. New information, such as recovery time from surgery may be slightly different than what they thought, be completely new information or confirm that information they had was false.
 * <span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Ross Todd (1999): Cognitive strategies and utilizations **
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