====== Information ====== Information is any entity or form that resolves uncertainty or provides the [[answer]] to a [[question]] of some kind. It is thus related to [[data]] and [[knowledge]], as data represents values attributed to [[parameter]]s, and knowledge signifies understanding of real things or abstract [[concept]]s. ---- [[Digital]] [[media]] is an important [[tool]] for disseminating [[information]] and connecting with [[influencer]]s, general public, and other [[stakeholder]]s. ---- As it regards [[data]], the information's existence is not necessarily coupled to an [[observer]] (it exists beyond an event horizon, for example), while in the case of knowledge, the information requires a cognitive observer. The [[medical history]] or [[case history]] of a [[patient]] is [[information]] gained by a [[physician]] by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information, with the aim of obtaining information useful in formulating a diagnosis and providing medical care to the patient ---- Prescribing [[clinician]]s have to negotiate ambiguities around [[information]] provision and [[consent]] for [[medication]]s on a daily basis, despite the availability of professional guidance. A study aimed to explore some of the many factors prescribing clinicians in the United Kingdom take into account when deciding what information to give to patients about medication choices, and when. In-depth face-to-face interviews, utilizing both a hypothetical scenario and semi-structured prompts, were conducted in order to elicit extended reflections on how clinicians individually work through such dilemmas and make decisions. Ten prescribing clinicians (doctors and nurses) from a large combined team of National Health Service (NHS) secondary and community palliative care providers in England. Palliative care staff regularly face choices about information provision in prescribing discussions, in particular when considering whether the information might increase distress. Participants presented three overlapping framings that helped them assess the range of factors that could potentially be taken into account; (1) assessing the individual patient, (2) tailoring the provision of information, and (3) jointly forming a plan. Information provision about medication choices and effects is a demanding, ongoing process, requiring nuanced judgments that constitute an unacknowledged yet significant aspect of clinical workload. Although current medical guidelines allow clinical discretion about information provision, this can leave individual clinicians feeling vulnerable. Further evolution of guidelines needs to establish a more sophisticated way to acknowledge professional and legal requirements, whilst also promoting professional autonomy and judgment ((Dumble K, Driessen A, Borgstrom E, Martin J, Yardley S, Cohn S. How much information is 'reasonable'? A qualitative interview study of the prescribing practices of palliative care professionals. Palliat Med. 2022 Jun 10:2692163221103471. doi: 10.1177/02692163221103471. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35689410.)). ===== Medical Information ===== [[Medical Information]] ===== Information flow ===== [[Information flow]]. ===== Web-Based Information ===== [[Web-Based Information]].