Table 3 Reasons for seeking or accessing health research or information (HRI)

To look for health information for:

 Oneself

4

[17, 44, 50, 93]

 Someone else

11

[17, 18, 44, 50, 55, 58, 91, 93, 99, 115, 117]

To look for health-related information on the following topics (n = 46):

 General health information

11

[19, 23, 39, 44, 48, 55, 58, 72, 83, 93, 128]

 A specific disease / condition including its

 - symptoms

 - diagnosis

 - prognosis

 - transmission

 - causes

 - complications

 - other/unspecified

36

[17,18,19,20, 24, 25, 27, 32, 37, 47, 48, 52, 53, 55, 57, 72, 80, 81, 83, 84, 92, 96, 97, 99, 101, 104, 105, 108, 113, 120, 122,123,124,125, 128, 139]

 Treatments

 - Medication

 - Expert-led treatments (conventional and CAM)

 - Self-care/self-management^a

 - Other^b

28

[17, 19, 24, 25, 27, 31, 37, 48, 52, 53, 57, 58, 72, 80, 83, 84, 95, 96, 99, 100, 104, 105, 108, 113, 117, 122, 128, 131]

 Screening and testing

 - for a specific condition

 - general health check

6

[17, 19, 27, 83, 96, 113]

 For other types of health information^c

4

[72, 83, 117, 122]

To acquire/develop resources for psycho-social support (n = 9)

 To gain reassurance, comfort and support including from others with lived or personal experience of the condition^d

7

[23, 24, 37, 53, 94, 97, 117]

 To gain a sense of control, ability to cope with the diagnosis, condition or treatment

4

[53, 69, 100, 117]

To navigate their own health journeys and the healthcare system (n = 31)

 To find information on or locate appropriate local healthcare providers

15

[17, 19, 20, 24, 27, 31, 48, 53, 68, 72, 80, 83, 125, 128, 131]

 To prepare ahead of meeting HCPs / HC institutions^e

5

[53, 68, 69, 95, 113]

 To make health decisions, including whether to seek professional help

8

[19, 38, 53, 68, 72, 95, 117, 128]

 To avoid going to a HC provider

1

[105]

 To make own diagnosis, prevent or cure or manage disease /condition or maintain health

9

[19, 20, 45, 47, 68, 72, 104, 105, 145]

 To verify/confirm/clarify or add to information received from another given source including:

 - To verify information from HCP (n = 6)

 - To obtain additional information^f (n = 3)

 - To clarify/understand info from HCP or medication label or prescriptions (n = 4)

 - General or unspecified (n = 1)

10

[20, 23, 37, 53, 55, 72, 93, 97, 103, 117]