Objective Veterinarians and their clients are using online information to improve pets’ health. There are no comprehensive frameworks, theories and models to intervene and evaluate online health information seeking behaviour (HISB) of pet owners. The objective of this paper was to provide a comprehensive review of the literature and propose a model for evaluating and intervening pet owner's HISB. Methods The framework emerges from a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis. NVivo 10 was used in this paper as an analysis tool for coding text and for supporting framework generation through identifying patterns. Results We indicate the most influencing factors on online HISB of pet owners, types of interventions for enhancing pet health information consumer skills and possible pet health outcomes. The themes identified from the literature review have been resulted into the development of a model for investigating pet owners’ health information behaviour interventions. Discussion We strengthen our findings further by learning from health behaviour models. Based on adaptation of the interaction model of client health behaviour, we developed our initial model. Conclusion This model serves as an initial step to engage health librarians and veterinarians for planning on pet health information outreach. However, future studies need to test the proposed model in various case studies and populations.

The results showed that, despite an increase in registration of clinical trials in Iran, most studies registered were conducted on diseases, which form only a small percentage of the total disease burden of the country.

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Introduction: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between pet owner’s combined knowledge, comfort, and perceived skills at finding, evaluating, applying online pet health information, and the application of the information prescription (IP) provided for pet owners education on the internet. Methods: Thirty telephone interviews were conducted followed by a questionnaire of eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) with pet owners after receiving an IP with a suggested websites in addition to their customary veterinary services in a vet clinic at the center of Tehran, Iran. Qualitative and quantitative data were merged to explore differences and similarities among respondents with different eHealth literacy levels. Results: Results indicate that pet owners with higher score of eHealth literacy more accessed the suggested websites and reported positive feelings about this addition to their veterinary services. Similarly, among the eight-item self-reported eHealth Literacy skills, perceived skills at evaluating and applying, were significantly associated with the use of IPs. Lastly eHealth literacy level was significantly associated with the outcomes of prescribed information, such as veterinarians-client communication outcome and learning outcomes.  Conclusion: Disparities in application of the veterinarian’s IPs for online pet healthcare information, and its outcomes are associated with different eHealth literacy skills. Veterinarians should collaborate with information specialists and librarians to perform education efforts to raise awareness on online pet health information quality and impact of veterinarian directed information prescription especially among low health literate owners.

Background: Health information-seeking behavior (HISB) plays a key role in self-care management, promoting quality of life and improving health. However, some individual and contextual barriers hinder women undergoing mastectomy access to needed information. Identifying and removing health information-seeking barriers for these women undergoing mastectomy can lead to improving their health outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the health information-seeking barriers for women with breast cancer after mastectomy. Materials and Methods: This was a conventional qualitative content analysis in which the participants were selected through purposive sampling based on the study inclusion criteria from two hospitals of Shahid Mohammadi and Persian Gulf and Chemotherapy Center of Omid in Bandar Abbas. The study population consisted of 17 women with breast cancer after mastectomy. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Results: Seven main themes were introduced as three individual barriers, including fear, shame and embarrassment and inadequate health literacy and four contextual barriers of economic status, physicians and medical staff, lack of accessibility of information sources and the behavior of those around them that were the underlying factors to explain the barriers of health information seeking in mastectomized women. Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the need for further attention from Iranian authorities to health care, especially women' health care institutions, to reform the health system and remove their health information-seeking barriers.