Health information avoidance in chronic disease patients: a concept analysis for nursing practice

Although health information is important for chronic disease self-management, some patients intentionally avoid available information that they anticipate will be distressing, overwhelming, or difficult to act on. This concept analysis aimed to clarify health information avoidance (HIA) in the context of chronic disease management, distinguish it from related concepts, and identify empirical referents relevant to nursing practice and research. Walker and Avant’s eight-step method was used. English- and Chinese-language literature was searched in Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang from database inception to 30 January 2026. Two reviewers independently screened the records, and unresolved disagreements were adjudicated by a third reviewer. PRISMA 2020 reporting elements were used to transparently describe the literature identification and selection process. HIA in chronic disease was conceptualized as intentional disengagement from available health information when the information is appraised as threatening, emotionally aversive, overwhelming, or difficult to manage. Three functionally related defining attributes were identified: threat/aversiveness appraisal, defensive regulatory intention, and multidimensional information disengagement, corresponding to appraisal, motivational, and behavioral levels of an HIA episode. Antecedents were grouped into individual, information-related, and social-contextual factors. Potential consequences involved clinical engagement, psychological well-being, disease self-management, and healthcare utilization. This concept analysis organizes HIA in chronic disease management into an appraisal–motivation–behavior structure and clarifies its boundaries from related concepts. The proposed framework may provide a conceptual basis for developing chronic-disease-specific assessment measures and for future empirical evaluation of patient-paced communication strategies in nursing practice.