Table 1.

Characteristics of the web search for health information

Advantages	Downsides
Ubiquity	Unequal quality of information
Immediacy	An identified source cannot always be found
Ability to access specific population segments	The date when the content was updated cannot always be found
Automation of messages	Need to adapt the message to the targeted population
Possibility of contact and learning among peers	Risk of information overload for the patient

Translation from: Casado, S. El Papel de la Información en el empoderamiento del paciente en Basagoiti I. Alfabetización en salud. De la información a la acción [pdf]. Valencia: ITACA/TSB; 2012. ISBN: 978–84- 695-5267-4 Available at http://www.salupedia.org/alfabetizacion/