Most people know what it’s like to have an ailing loved one, and all the questions and concerns associated with dealing with an illness.

Today, an abundance of resources are available that make it relatively easy to research and gather information to answer any questions you may have regarding just about any illness/disease. However, if you are planning to do some medical research for a loved one, there are some things you should consider first.

Be clear about your motivations beforehand, suggests Patient Centered Guides, a publisher of books written by patient advocates. You will be of help with researching if your goals are the same as the patient’s goals, it said.

Patient Centered Guides also offered the following eight reasons you should do medical research for a loved one:

1. You have been asked to help because you are a skilled researcher or have the time to help out.

2. You have the training, access or temperament, or often fill this kind of family role.

3. You want to show support and caring for another person. (There are other ways to show support you also could explore.)

4. Knowledge is comfort for you. (This might be true for you, but not true for the patient.)

5. You don’t want to accept a disease/condition/treatment/prognosis as true.

6. You doubt the competency of the patient to do research, even if the patient thinks otherwise.

7. You believe a certain kind of treatment is superior to one already chosen by the patient.

8. You believe another treatment modality (Western, nonintervention, spiritual, mind-body, Eastern, nutritional, etc.) is superior to the modality which the patient has chosen or is likely to choose.

Keep in mind, if you have offered to help someone gather information, make sure that person wants your help, Patient Centered Guides said.