Correspondence (letter to the editor): Finding Information by Quality Providers Is an Issue

The International Patient Decision Aid Standards Collaboration (IPDAS) and other networks have shown how to respond to the dearth of good-quality information for patients: by cooperation and qualification. In this spirit, the Gute Praxis Gesundheitsinformation (good practice health information) initiative was founded in Germany (1): under the umbrella of the German Network for Evidence Based Medicine (2), information providers have formulated requirements that health information should meet and have committed to implementing and further developing these. If we want to improve the information landscape, we will have to establish evidence based practice on the one hand and simultaneously create a network of providers that have signed up to implementing this criterion. An important task for this network will be to offer further support to those who are seriously on their way to evidence based activities.

At the same time we should ensure that patients can actually find the information provided by quality providers. We can only counteract the enormous amount of information biased by financial or intellectual interests if we stand united. It would be inadvisable to leave information seekers alone until an “optimum” has been reached. We think the better alternative is for the “quality” providers (good, not optimum) need to cooperate and jointly seek further qualification. Doctors are important partners in disseminating quality information as they have direct contact with patients. And the need for evidence based information among doctors is great. The opportunity to familiarize doctors with “good practice” should not be missed by Deutsches Ärzteblatt.