A new method for studying patient information needs and information-seeking patterns

Studies on information needs and information-seeking patterns of patients focus on people who seek information and rarely attempt to explain the behavior of people who do not want information. Strategies for coping with stress may yield insight into information-seeking patterns. A study of information preferences of women with multiple sclerosis was based on a theory of information seeking that states that "monitors" cope by actively seeking information, whereas "blunters" reject information. Results revealed that both monitors and blunters wanted information but differed in what they wanted and when they wanted it. This study contributes to the development of a methodology for studying information-seeking patterns.