Two-Factor Theory of Health Information Use: A Suggestion

Introduction: Today, the role of information is not deniable in decision-making, education, research, advertisement, content production, etc. (1). In fact, information in health systems depends on time and demand specifications and is extremely important for reasons such as having short half-life, impact on health behavior, and sensitivity to death and life (2). Peoples’ need for health information is deeply different. Physicians, patients, hospital administrators, students and faculty members have different kinds of needs for information because of their specific goals (2). Understanding the type of information needs is a fairly long and complex process that is influenced by various factors. But the final goal of information seeking behavior is using retrieved information. This information is used for various reasons by beneficiaries and is influenced by various factors. In this letter, we aim to offer a conceptual and predictable framework of health information use. In this conceptual framework, two main factors of using health information, i.e. motivational and functional, are briefly explained.