Figure 1.

Consumer data and external evidence are the two categories of information that need to be integrated by the professional and consumer to arrive at a health care decision. Increasingly, consumers can bypass the professional as a filter (and moderator) and have direct access to parts of this information. This may be problematic, if the consumer accesses not only information that is relevant for their informed decision process, but also low-quality and irrelevant information. At the same time this is also an opportunity for evidence-based health care, as consumers are now able to question the evidence-base of professionals