Alternate routes for the transfer of emergency health information

Abstract

Social media have created new ways for non-professionals to access, share, and even create health related information. While these new resources have been noted to destabilize the authority held by medical professionals, they also highlight the potential utility in the medical field of non-professinoal peer collaboration and support. In light of this evolution, the roles of health information professionals have expanded to assisting users in evaluating information from an ever-increasing variety of sources, as well as providing information themselves. The conclusion calls for further research into the opportunities afforded by peer-generated and -communicated contributions to health information.