An in-depth look at an informal carer's information needs: A case study of a carer of a diabetic child

Abstract

This paper proposes and reports on an empirical test of a taxonomy of information needs of informal carers. Prior research in this field is limited and has concentrated on the carer's information needs that are most directly related to the patient's needs, whereas information needs related to other aspects of being a carer have hardly been addressed. Four main categories of information needs of informal carers are proposed: (i) information needs related to the persons needing care, (ii) information needs related to the informal carers themselves, (iii) information needs related to the interaction between the persons needing care and informal carers; and (iv) information related to the intera..