Figure 1
From: Internet access and use by COPD patients in the National Emphysema/COPD Association Survey
Modified Wilson’s 1996 Model of Information Behavior. This model depicts that a person develops an information need due to some basic stressor (a new diagnosis or disease status), and that intervening variables (demographics and socioeconomic variables) then motivate or impede the person’s information seeking and use. Additional mechanisms based on the perceived risks and rewards (termed here “perceived needs”) further influence patients’ decisions regarding whether and how actively to seek information and what information sources to consult (from a passive diffusion of information to an active ongoing search). Following information seeking behavior, a feedback loop is created, based upon the actions taken (or not) to process and use the information (a step not modeled here).