Internet information overload leads to more trust in nurses

While information availability may make people more likely to make their own choices about care, information may become so uncontrolled that people turn to trusted sources such as nurses to advise them.

Some predict information availability will make people more able, and likely to, make their own choices about care. This is consistent with projects related to telehealth, online apps and making people more responsible for and involved in their own care, all designed to empower the patient. With increased information on the internet, there is more scope for patients to self-diagnose, reducing the need for unnecessary acute interventions and reducing costs and staff numbers.

However, it may be that information becomes so widespread, uncontrolled, unreliable, inaccurate and confusing that people respond contrary to expectation and turn to trusted sources such as nurses to verify information and provide advice. Therefore, there is potential for demand for nurses and other professionals to increase; nurses and other staff do not become extinct but survive and thrive in the brave new world of technology as trusted advisers and gatekeepers of care.

In this case, policymakers will think in a counterintuitive fashion when considering the impact of the Internet. While easier access to information could make patients better informed and less likely to demand services, it is plausible that demand for services could increase if patients decide nurses are more reliable information sources than the internet. Consequently, the Government, employers and commissioners will not necessarily assume the internet (and other new developments, such as telehealth) will lead to reduced demand for services. Publicly available information and data may need to be more robust, as there is a risk that harm may result from inaccurate information.

Sources or references

• Suggested by number of stakeholders in interviews and workshops during CfWI research on nursing.
• From unpublished CfWI report (report available on request)
• Queen's Nursing Institute (2012). Smart New World: Using technology to help patients in the home
• Cruickshank J (2010). Healthcare without walls: A framework for delivering telehealth at scale, 2020 Health.
• Ball, J. (2011). Data collection and review in the delivery of safe care. Nurs Manag (Harrow) 17(9): 20-22.
• Genetics in Nursing & Midwifery Task and Finish Group (2011). Genetics/genomics in nursing and midwifery: Task and Finish Group report to the Nursing and Midwifery Professional Advisory Board. Birmingham, NHS National Genetics Education and Development Centre.
• Department of Health, 2011, Whole System Demonstrator Programme: headline findings

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.