scholarly journals Consumer health information seeking in social media: a literature review

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 268-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuehua Zhao ◽  
Jin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Health Information Seeking

A systematic integrative review of cognitive biases in consumer health information seeking: emerging perspective of behavioral information research

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsangyao Chen
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Consumer Health Information ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioral Decision ◽  
Decision Research

PurposeWith the growing interest in behavioral health and medical decision-making, this systematic integrative review aims to understand research on cognitive biases in the context of consumer health information seeking and where future research opportunities may reside.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a systematic review protocol, 40 empirical research articles, out of 1,127 journal research papers from 12 academic databases, from 1995 to 2019, are included for review.FindingsThe study of cognitive biases in consumer health information seeking is a nascent and fast-growing phenomenon, with variety in publication venues and research methods. Among the 16 biases investigated, optimistic bias and confirmation bias have attracted most attention (46.9%). Researchers are most interested in specific disease/illness (35%) and the health factors of consumer products (17.5%). For theoretical presence, about one-third of the reviewed articles have cited behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman, although most of the references are the early works of Kahneman.Research limitations/implicationsAs an emerging research area, there exists plenty of cognitive biases to be investigated in the context of health information seeking. In the meantime, the adoption of more recent theoretical insights such as nudge for debiasing may enrich this research area. Health communication scientists may find incorporating the behavioral decision research framework enriches the disciplinary inquiry of health information seeking, while information scientists could use it to commence the cognitive turn of information science evolution.Originality/valueThrough evidence-based understanding, this review shows the potential research directions that health communication scientists and information scientists could contribute to optimize health decisions through the adoption of behavioral decision research framework.

A cross-section study to assess Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB) in Syria (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayham Research Group ◽  
Rashad Almahayni
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Quality Score ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Section Study ◽  
Reliability Score

BACKGROUND The wide-spread use of the internet, and the numerous websites and platforms it provides access to allow users to reach a multitude of articles on almost any topic, which raises the issue of the quality and reliability of the information obtained online. Without denying the existence of reliable websites, the main question remains whether information seekers are reaching these websites. While many studies have been done to answer these questions, few were undertaken in third world countries. OBJECTIVE This study attempts to shed light on the current Health Information Seeking Behaviors (HISB) in Syria, to provide data, and to lay the ground for future studies. METHODS This is a cross-section study that used a questionnaire to identify and measure different HISB habits in Syria. A chi-square test was used to study the relations between different demographic groups and different HISB groups, and the relations between Different HISB groups. The study used the DISCERN Instrument to assess the reliability and quality of the information obtained by participants, and the means for the reliability score, the quality score, and the total DISCERN Instrument score were calculated and compared to scores of different methods of HISB with a T-score test. RESULTS The study suggests that Search Engines are the most commonly used method when actively seeking health information (52%), followed by official websites (26.6%) and unofficial websites (11.8%), with social media being the least used method (9.7%). Official websites scored the highest mean on the DISCERN Instrument score with 3.77 (±0.651), and the highest mean in reliability with 4.02 (±0.598), while social media scored the highest mean in quality with 3.53 (±1.014). Search Engines scored the lowest means in all 3 aspects, with a total DISCERN score of 3.35 (±0.715), a reliability score of 3.57 (±0.712), and a quality score of 3.11 (±0.915). CONCLUSIONS Official websites need to take more steps to provide better quality information for users. Non-medical provider users search for overview more often, therefore official websites should provide an overview of the topics at the start of their materials.

Hospital Social Media Strategies

2017 ◽  
pp. 480-487
Author(s):  
Fay Cobb Payton ◽  
Natasha Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Effective Delivery ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Physician Relationship

This chapter describes the role social media plays in patient communication at hospitals. The chapter explores how social media platforms are used by national and local hospitals to deliver higher quality healthcare and increase patient engagement. Using an in-depth literature review and semi-structured interviews at two local hospitals, the chapter assesses how hospitals approach traditional and social media strategies. The chapter identifies the importance of using both online and offline communication strategies for the most comprehensive and effective delivery of healthcare. The chapter also includes a discussion of how social media has the ability to influence health information seeking and the patient-physician relationship.

Hospital Social Media Strategies

2017 ◽  
pp. 458-465
Author(s):  
Fay Cobb Payton ◽  
Natasha Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Quality Healthcare ◽  
Effective Delivery ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Physician Relationship

This chapter describes the role social media plays in patient communication at hospitals. The chapter explores how social media platforms are used by national and local hospitals to deliver higher quality healthcare and increase patient engagement. Using an in-depth literature review and semi-structured interviews at two local hospitals, the chapter assesses how hospitals approach traditional and social media strategies. The chapter identifies the importance of using both online and offline communication strategies for the most comprehensive and effective delivery of healthcare. The chapter also includes a discussion of how social media has the ability to influence health information seeking and the patient-physician relationship.

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