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 parameters, and knowledge signifies understanding of real things or abstract concepts.
Digital media is an important tool for disseminating information and connecting with influencers, general public, and other stakeholders.
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 clinicians have to negotiate ambiguities around information provision and consent for medications 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 1).