The increasing availability of web-based health information resources should foster intensivists to step out of their comfort zone and encourage families to discuss their online discoveries.

The majority of families of critically ill patients you have talked to or will talk to in the upcoming days are going to search for additional information online about their loved ones’ condition.

A recent survey suggests that 6 out of 10 Europeans have used the internet for this purpose, particularly those who are younger, have greater educational achievements, or have a good quality of health themselves.

This does not indicate mistrust or dissatisfaction with healthcare providers. Instead, they seek to better understand the situation (information on symptoms of a specific illness, treatments, medical tests).

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