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Objective: To explore how women describe efforts to seek, appraise and interpret information during the diagnostic phase of her breast cancer care.Methods: Qualitative interviews with 35 women with breast cancer across Canada, using audio/video recording. Thematic analysis was used to identify topics important to participants (original results published: www.healthexperiences.ca). Secondary analysis of transcripts to identify how women described information flow, content, and management strategies.Results: Women adopt different strategies to optimize access to information, while acknowledging the negative effects of information overload and lack of relevant information. They propose small steps towards gathering and managing information, and to focus initially on understanding their illness.Conclusion: Different strategies can help to ensure that women have the right information, in the right format, at the right time. Some of these strategies include developing guidance on how to 'handle' information, helping healthcare professionals identify patient's information preferences, improving the availability, quality and access to experiential information, and facilitating acces to electronic information that can tailor information. Further research to understand how women handle information can inform strategies to help newly-diagnosed patients navigate available information.Practice Implications: Healthcare professionals can work in partnership with patients to tailor reliable information to support informed decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the Canadian food recall system from the consumer perspective through an online survey to determine whether recall fatigue is a problem among consumers. Recall fatigue occurs when consumers are inundated with such an excess of information on food recalls that it causes apathy toward food safety. Optimistic bias, the belief that others are at risk, but not one's self, also contributes to recall fatigue, which can lead to public health risks. Results indicate that although consumers generally have some knowledge of food recalls, they do not retain or subsequently internalize information about all food recalls. Results also indicate that Canadians have confidence in the current recall system. However, Canadians across all demographics place the responsibility for food safety on others, namely the federal government. Despite the fact that foodborne illnesses can originate in the home, the majority of Canadians believe they are more likely to occur as a result of actions taken before food reaches their home. the combination of apparent information overload, optimistic bias and inaccurate risk assessment regarding food recalls puts Canadians at risk of recall fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Understanding the information behaviour of policy makers targeted by knowledge translation efforts is key to improving policy research impact. This study explores the reported information behaviour of pharmaceutical policy decision-makers in Canada, a country highly associated with evidence-based practice yet still facing substantial barriers to evidence-informed health policy. Methods: We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with a purposive sample of 15 Canadian pharmaceutical policy decision-makers. Results of the descriptive, qualitative analysis were compared with the General Model of Information Seeking of Professionals (GMISP) proposed by Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain in 1996. Results: Characteristics of information needs included topic, depth/breadth of questions and time sensitivity. Approaches to information seeking were variously scattershot, systematic and delegated, depending on the characteristics as well as respondent resources. Major source types were human experts, electronic sources and trusted organisations. Affective (emotion-related) outcomes were common, including frustration and desire for better information systems and sources. Conclusions: The GMISP model may be adapted to model information behaviour of Canadian pharmaceutical policy makers. In the absence of a dedicated, independent source for rapid-response policy research, these policy makers will likely continue to satisfice (make do) with available resources, and barriers to evidence-informed policy will persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]