INSIGHT ‘‘ H


The role of health information professionals remains crucial in ensuring that people have access to trusted and reliable health information.


Lynsey Hawker, Co-Chair of HLG.


EALTH literacy is the ability to access, assess and use health information to make


decisions. In England health literacy remains low, with four in 10 adults experiencing difficulty in understanding written health information. This rises to six in 10 adults when that information includes numbers and statistics.1 (Powell 2022)


In this context, health information providers working across charities and the health and care sector serve an important role in ensuring patient information is produced in formats that are accessible to all. Knowledge and library staff provide a further role in supporting healthcare colleagues and information providers to develop health literacy skills and techniques that can be shared with members of the public2


ensuring that they


can access and select trusted information when looking for health and care advice.


Google


In this context, Google is a hugely important source widely used by patients for accessing health information. Recent polling by Ipsos for the Patient Information Forum3


(PIF) revealed that half of those


surveyed use Google to search for health information, enabling them to find known and trusted sources to access information and guidance on where to find further help and support. In 2024 Google launched its new AI search results panel, which appears at the top of the search results, giving you a summarised overview rather than just a list of results. This addition can help users to make sense of the results and find an answer without having to click through to lots of different websites. However, the use of AI has raised some concerns for those working to create patient information.


Access The quick adoption of tools like this highlights the role of information professionals in ensuring we get the


Rewired 2025


balance right between easier and faster access to information and ensuring that the information remains reliable, robust and relevant to the context it is being used in. Recently, I attended a virtual roundtable hosted by Marie Curie, Macmillan and the Patient Information Forum (PIF). Concerns raised about Google AI summaries included:


1. Risk to health outcomes: Not visiting the primary source may cause people to miss important information or context.


2. Quality concerns: AI may cite poor quality information, reducing the overall quality of the information seen by users. Some charities also report that their content has been altered in search results, raising concerns about accuracy.


3. Inconsistency: AI search results are not reproducible, making it difficult for users to revisit and check advice.


4. Geographical bias: AI search results often favour US-based resources, causing UK users to miss out on relevant local help and support. They may also receive information, which does not reflect the UK care pathway and lead to concerns about having to pay for treatment.


5. Health inequalities: Narrow AI responses may fail to account for varying literacy levels and broader information needs, potentially widening health inequalities.


6. Health literacy: The language used in AI summaries can be confusing, especially for users in a state of stress or with low reading age.


7. Access to support: One in 10 of the of organisations attending the roundtable report a reduction in calls to their helpline and half reported a fall in traffic to their webpages leading to concerns that users are missing more hands-on support and care offered by these services.


The conversations at the roundtable found that current AI search summaries, present a risk to health outcomes and have a negative impact on the accessibility of support from specialist charities and


References


1. Powell, M., (2022). Health literacy: how can we improve health information? NIHR Evidence. https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/collection/health-information-are-you- getting-your-message-across/ [Accessed May 30, 2025]


2. NHS England, Workforce, training and education, Knowledge and Library Services, (2024). Health literacy and patient information. https://library.hee.nhs.uk/patient-information/health-literacy-and- patient-information [Accessed May 29, 2025]


3. Patient Information Forum, (2024). PIF and Ipsos publish Knowledge is Power, London: PIF.


4. Patient Information Forum, Marie Curie and Macmillan, (2025). Google AI search results and the health sector, London: PIF.


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 33


the wider health sector. AI summaries have the potential to help users access information quickly and easily but the concerns above must be addressed to ensure they signpost consistently to trusted UK information and support pathways. PIF, Marie Curie and Macmillan are keen to work with Google to make these improvements and have published a report with case studies and recommendations4


, which has been


shared with Google. PIF is asking for further organisations to endorse these recommendations.


Advancements


This example of introducing Google AI really highlights that while technology can significantly enhance the accessibility and convenience with which we can access health information, it is essential to implement these advancements with care to maintain the quality and accuracy of the information provided.


The role of health information professionals remains crucial in ensuring that people have access to trusted and reliable health information. Having the skills to train others to develop health literacy skills, and to make the most of search tools to access the right information is one aspect, being present in the design and development of such tools is another. To support the recommendations visit https://tinyurl.com/PIFSign. IP


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