Evaluation of Medical Internet Sites

1999 ◽  
Vol 38 (02) ◽  
pp. 75-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Obst ◽  
K. Adelhard

AbstractA huge amount of medical information is available on the Internet for both experts and laypersons. These resources are frequently used to answer current medical questions and are thus likely to influence the behavior of the users. Criteria for assessing the quality of medical Internet resources have been established by a number of authors and institutions to provide reliable medical information on the Internet for both patients and physicians. Clinical studies on the impact of information on the Internet are still lacking. The next step is to evaluate the outcome of such information services and to prove that they affect health-related parameters. Due to different constraints, classical strategies of controlled clinical trials can only be partly applied. New methods have to be developed and validated in practice.

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-89
Author(s):  
A.V. Lisitsa ◽  
B.V. Shilov ◽  
P.A. Evdokimov ◽  
S.A. Gusev

Knowledgebases can become an effective tool essentially raising quality of information retrieval in molecular biology, promoting the development of new methods of education and forecasting of the biomedical R&D. Knowledge-based technologies should induce "paradigm shift" in the life science due to integrative focusing of research groups towards the challenges of postgenomic era. This paper debates concept of the knowledgebase, which exploits web usage mining to personalize the access of molecular biologist to the Internet resources.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Vismara ◽  
Daniele Vitella ◽  
Roberta Biolcati ◽  
Federica Ambrosini ◽  
Veronica Pirola ◽  
...  

Objectives: The Internet has become one of the most common sources people use to search for health-related information, a behavior rapidly increased during the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study aimed to investigate behavioral patterns in the online health-related searches and Cyberchondria (CYB) during the COVID-19 pandemic time, in order to explore socio-demographic and psychopathological factors related to CYB.Methods: During the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, a cross-sectional online survey collected the main socio-demographic variables and habits related to Internet use of 572 participants. CYB was measured by the Cyberchondria Severity Scale-Short Version and different psychopathological factors were measured by specific questionnaires: the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, the Meta-Cognitions about Health Questionnaire, the Internet Addiction Test, the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire-Short Version, the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF. Descriptives, non-parametric ANOVAs, and Spearman correlations were performed.Results: In the present sample, the Internet was the main source participants used to search for health-related information and nearly one-third increased this habit during the pandemic. Higher expression of CYB emerged in females, in younger participants, in students, and in those suffering from a physical/psychiatric illness. CYB showed a positive correlation with different phenomenology of anxiety (i.e., anxiety about COVID-19, health anxiety, general anxiety, metacognitive believes about anxiety) and with depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and problematic usage of the Internet. Conversely, quality of life and self-esteem showed a negative correlation with CYB.Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the Internet for health-related information and CYB contribute to the psychological stress affecting individuals and society. Delineating subjects more vulnerable to CYB and associated psychopathological factors will help to elaborate operational indications for prevention and psychological support.


Author(s):  
Lukashchuk S.Yu.

This article examines the Internet resources as the factors of students’ addictions. A wide implication of informatively-communication technologies in reality at present in various areas of different countries and age categories was given the specific attention.It is indicated that scientific association is interested in studying this topic. The research in the groups of medical workers and students is considered important due to their frequent uses of the Internet resources to satisfy professional requirements in actual information, which is updating all the time. The author pays attention to social networks impact and to both physical and phycological users’ health. In particular, it is stated that the sources of information can lead to anxiety increase, attention decrease, memory disorders and depression.Objective: to analyze popular online resources among medical students and their influence on the Internet addiction formation.Methods: in order to solve the task the complex of theoretical methods of research was used: studying and analyzing literature on phycology regarding the topic of the article, generalization and systematization of materials, which gave an opportunity to describe the basic aspects that are used in the Internet research on addiction.Results: the popular Internet resources and their uses as factors of the Internet addiction were analyzed. It is indicated that a single use of the Internet aiming at medical field can not result in the Internet addiction itself providing it is properly organized in use. It was discovered that the Internet addiction has a negative impact on students’ performance and their professionalism as future doctors.Conclusions: in order to reduce the impact of the Internet on its users including medical students, the complex work of students, tutors and supervisors is necessary. The main task is to reduce time spent online with educational purpose, which enable to preserve future doctors’ health and prevent from reduction of medical care quality,Key words: medical information, education, phycological disease, anxiety, attention, memory, depression, the Internet resources, the Internet addiction, students У статті розглядаються інтернет-ресурси як чинники інтернет-залежності студентів. Особлива увага приділяється широкому використанню інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій у реаліях сьогодення в усіх галузях життєдіяльності населення різних країн світу та вікових категорій.Указано на зацікавленість наукової спільноти у вивченні окресленої теми. Важливим є дослідження в групах медичних працівників та студентів, що зумовлено їх частим звертанням до інтернет-джерел для задоволення професійних потреб в актуальній інформації, яка швидко оновлюється. Автор звер-тає увагу на вплив інтернет-мереж на фізичне та психічне здоров’я користувачів. Так, зазначається, що інформаційні джерела можуть призводити до підвищення тривожності, зниження уваги, розладу пам’яті, депресії.Метою статті є здійснення аналізу популярних серед студентів-медиків інтернет-ресурсів та їх впливу на формування інтернет-адикції в представників цих академічних груп.Методи. Для вирішення поставлених завдань використано комплекс теоретичних методів дослідження: вивчення і аналіз психологічної літератури з теми статті, узагальнення і систематизацію мате-ріалів, що дало можливість охарактеризувати основні аспекти, за якими ведуться наукові дослідження явищ інтернет-залежності. Результати. Проаналізовано популярні інтернет-ресурси та їх використання як чинників формування інтернет-залежності в студентів. зазначено, що поодиноке використання інтернет-ресурсів, спрямованих на медичну галузь, не може призвести до інтернет-залежності (за умови правильної організації та використання). З’ясовано, що інтернет-залежність негативно впливає на успішність студентів та професійність майбутніх лікарів.Висновки. Для зменшення наслідків впливу Інтернету на його користувачів, зокрема студентів-медиків, необхідною є комплексна організаційна робота самих студентів, викладачів та кураторів курсів. Основним завданням є скорочення часу перебування здобувачів освіти в інтернет-просторі для розв’язку навчальних завдань, що дасть змогу зберегти психічне здоров’я майбутніх лікарів та запобігти зниженню якості надання медичних послуг.Ключові слова: медична інформація, навчання, психічне захворювання, тривожність, увага, пам’ять, депресія, інтернет-ресурс, інтернет-залежність, студент.


Author(s):  
Phillippa Carnemolla ◽  
Catherine Bridge

The multi-dimensional relationship between housing and population health is now well recognised internationally, across both developing and developed nations. This paper examines a dimension within the housing and health relationship – accessibility – that to date has been considered difficult to measure. This paper reports on the mixed method results of larger mixed-method, exploratory study designed to measure the impact of home modifications on Health-Related Quality of Life, supported by qualitative data of recipients’ experiences of home modifications. Data was gathered from 157 Australian HACC clients, who had received home modifications. Measurements were taken for both before and after home modifications and reveal that home modifications were associated with an average 40% increase in Health-Related Quality of Life levels. The qualitative results revealed that participants positively associated home modifications across six effect themes: increased safety and confidence, improved mobility at home, increased independence, supported care-giving role, increased social participation, and ability to return home from hospital. This exploratory research gives an insight into the potential for accessible architecture to impact improvements in community health and wellbeing.


Author(s):  
Patrícia Rossini ◽  
Jennifer Stromer-Galley

Political conversation is at the heart of democratic societies, and it is an important precursor of political engagement. As society has become intertwined with the communication infrastructure of the Internet, we need to understand its uses and the implications of those uses for democracy. This chapter provides an overview of the core topics of scholarly concern around online citizen deliberation, focusing on three key areas of research: the standards of quality of communication and the normative stance on citizen deliberation online; the impact and importance of digital platforms in structuring political talk; and the differences between formal and informal political talk spaces. After providing a critical review of these three major areas of research, we outline directions for future research on online citizen deliberation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads G. Jørgensen ◽  
Navid M. Toyserkani ◽  
Frederik G. Hansen ◽  
Anette Bygum ◽  
Jens A. Sørensen

AbstractThe impact of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) on long-term quality of life is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of BCRL on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) up to 10 years after breast cancer treatment. This regional population-based study enrolled patients treated for breast cancer with axillary lymph node dissection between January 1st 2007 and December 31th 2017. Follow up and assessments of the included patients were conducted between January 2019 and May 2020. The study outcome was HRQoL, evaluated with the Lymphedema Functioning, Disability and Health Questionnaire, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire and the Short Form (36) Health Survey Questionnaire. Multivariate linear logistic regression models adjusted for confounders provided mean score differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals in each HRQoL scale and item. This study enrolled 244 patients with BCRL and 823 patients without BCRL. Patients with BCRL had significantly poorer HRQoL than patients without BCRL in 16 out of 18 HRQoL subscales, for example, in physical function (MDs 27, 95%CI: 24; 30), mental health (MDs 24, 95%CI: 21; 27) and social role functioning (MDs 20, 95%CI: 17; 23). Age, BMI, BCRL severity, hand and dominant arm affection had only minor impact on HRQoL (MDs < 5), suggesting a high degree of inter-individual variation in coping with lymphedema. This study showed that BCRL is associated with long-term impairments in HRQoL, especially affecting the physical and psychosocial domains. Surprisingly, BCRL diagnosis rather than clinical severity drove the largest impairments in HRQoL.


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