scholarly journals Cancer patients’ information seeking behavior related to online electronic healthcare records

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146045822110247
Author(s):  
Hanife Rexhepi ◽  
Isto Huvila ◽  
Rose-Mharie Åhlfeldt ◽  
Åsa Cajander
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Information Horizons ◽  
Health Information Sources

Patients’ online access to their EHR together with the rapid proliferation of medical information on the Internet has changed how patients use information to learn about their health. Patients’ tendency to turn to the Internet to find information about their health and care is well-documented. However, little is known about patients’ information seeking behavior when using online EHRs. By using information horizons as an analytical tool this paper aims to investigate the information behavior of cancer patients who have chosen to view their EHRs (readers) and to those who have not made that option (non-readers). Thirty interviews were conducted with patients. Based on information horizons, it seems that non-reading is associated with living in a narrower information world in comparison to readers. The findings do not suggest that the smallness would be a result of active avoidance of information, or that it would be counterproductive for the patients. The findings suggest, however, that EHRs would benefit from comprehensive linking to authoritative health information sources to help users to understand their contents. In parallel, healthcare professionals should be more aware of their personal role as a key source of health information to those who choose not to read their EHRs.

scholarly journals Lifestyle Segmentation to Explain the Online Health Information–Seeking Behavior of Older Adults: Representative Telephone Survey

10.2196/15099 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. e15099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winja Weber ◽  
Anne Reinhardt ◽  
Constanze Rossmann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Sociodemographic Variables ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Health Related

Background As a result of demographic changes, the number of people aged 60 years and older has been increasing steadily. Therefore, older adults have become more important as a target group for health communication efforts. Various studies show that online health information sources have gained importance among younger adults, but we know little about the health-related internet use of senior citizens in general and in particular about the variables explaining their online health-related information–seeking behavior. Media use studies indicate that in addition to sociodemographic variables, lifestyle factors might play a role in this context. Objective The aim of this study was to examine older people’s health-related internet use. Our study focused on the explanatory potential of lifestyle types over and above sociodemographic variables to predict older adults’ internet use for health information. Methods A telephone survey was conducted with a random sample of German adults aged 60 years and older (n=701) that was quota-allocated by gender, age, educational status, and degree of urbanity of their place of residence. Results The results revealed that participants used the internet infrequently (mean 1.82 [SD 1.07]), and medical personnel (mean 2.89 [SD 1.11]), family and friends (mean 2.86 [SD 1.21]), and health brochures (mean 2.85 [SD 1.21]) were their main sources of health information. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on values, interests, and leisure time activities revealed three different lifestyle types for adults aged over 60 years: the Sociable Adventurer, the Average Family Person, and the Uninterested Inactive. After adding these types as second-step predictors in a hierarchical regression model with sociodemographic variables (step 1), the explained variance increased significantly (R2=.02, P=.001), indicating that the Average Family Person and the Sociable Adventurer use the internet more often for health information than the Uninterested Inactive, over and above their sociodemographic attributes. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the internet still plays only a minor role in the health information–seeking behavior of older German adults. Nevertheless, there are subgroups including younger, more active, down-to-earth and family-oriented males that may be reached with online health information. Our findings suggest that lifestyle types should be taken into account when predicting health-related internet use behavior.

Health Information Seeking Behavior of Breast Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramin Ravangard ◽  
Kefayat Chaman-Ara ◽  
Elham Bahrami ◽  
mohammad amin bahrami
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Cochrane Database ◽  
Health Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Abstract Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer of women worldwide. This study was aimed to review systematically the current literature on the health information seeking behavior of breast cancer patients and to conduct the qualitative analysis of findings. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, CINHAL, Embase, Google Scholar, Cochrane database of systematic review, PSYCINO, SID and Magiran databases. A total of 60 articles included in the study. Findings of all studies were extracted, the content analysis was conducted and a series of themes and categories were identified Results: 13 themes were identified in the published studies. The related findings of all themes are presented and discussed. Conclusion: We summarized and classified all the findings of studies on the health information seeking behavior of breast cancer patients. Our classification can be used for the comprehensive examination of the breast cancer patients’ health information seeking behavior to develop improvement policies.

scholarly journals Lifestyle Segmentation to Explain the Online Health Information–Seeking Behavior of Older Adults: Representative Telephone Survey (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winja Weber ◽  
Anne Reinhardt ◽  
Constanze Rossmann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Sociodemographic Variables ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Health Related

BACKGROUND As a result of demographic changes, the number of people aged 60 years and older has been increasing steadily. Therefore, older adults have become more important as a target group for health communication efforts. Various studies show that online health information sources have gained importance among younger adults, but we know little about the health-related internet use of senior citizens in general and in particular about the variables explaining their online health-related information–seeking behavior. Media use studies indicate that in addition to sociodemographic variables, lifestyle factors might play a role in this context. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine older people’s health-related internet use. Our study focused on the explanatory potential of lifestyle types over and above sociodemographic variables to predict older adults’ internet use for health information. METHODS A telephone survey was conducted with a random sample of German adults aged 60 years and older (n=701) that was quota-allocated by gender, age, educational status, and degree of urbanity of their place of residence. RESULTS The results revealed that participants used the internet infrequently (mean 1.82 [SD 1.07]), and medical personnel (mean 2.89 [SD 1.11]), family and friends (mean 2.86 [SD 1.21]), and health brochures (mean 2.85 [SD 1.21]) were their main sources of health information. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on values, interests, and leisure time activities revealed three different lifestyle types for adults aged over 60 years: the Sociable Adventurer, the Average Family Person, and the Uninterested Inactive. After adding these types as second-step predictors in a hierarchical regression model with sociodemographic variables (step 1), the explained variance increased significantly (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>=.02, <i>P</i>=.001), indicating that the Average Family Person and the Sociable Adventurer use the internet more often for health information than the Uninterested Inactive, over and above their sociodemographic attributes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the internet still plays only a minor role in the health information–seeking behavior of older German adults. Nevertheless, there are subgroups including younger, more active, down-to-earth and family-oriented males that may be reached with online health information. Our findings suggest that lifestyle types should be taken into account when predicting health-related internet use behavior.

scholarly journals Health Information–Seeking Behavior of Seniors Who Use the Internet: A Survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Medlock ◽  
Saeid Eslami ◽  
Marjan Askari ◽  
Derk L Arts ◽  
Danielle Sent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior

scholarly journals An Ecological View of Internet Health Information Seeking Behavior Predictors: Findings from the CHAIN Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua K Calvert ◽  
Angela A Aidala ◽  
Josh H West
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Health Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

Objective: The purpose of the study was to further elucidate proximal and distal demographic and social predictors of Internet Health Information Seeking Behavior (IHISB) among a cohort of HIV+ individuals through an ecological framework. Methods: The Community Health Advisory & Information Network (CHAIN) project is an ongoing prospective study of a representative sample of persons living with HIV/AIDS in New York City and the Tri-County region. The study sample was drawn from a two-stage randomized technique with the clients of 43 medical and social service organizations with 693 HIV+ participants. Bivariate correlations were computed between IHISB and independent demographic variables in ecological blocks. Multivariate hierarchical logistic regression was used to test association between blocks of variables and IHISB. Results: Among the surveyed respondents (n=645) 50.3% indicated that they used the Internet. Being above the poverty line, having less than a high school education, and having fewer neighbors were statistically significant predictors of IHISB related to HIV. Conclusions: The benefits of accessing the Internet may influence health behavior and may be considered a target for interventions that aim to increase access to health related information online. Coupled with increased access, is the need for increased patient education interventions, and creative managed care approaches to ensure that information gleaned from online sources is interpretable and accurate in order to benefit the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS.

scholarly journals Social Media in Times of Crisis: Online Health Information Seeking using “#COVID-19 Patient Seeking Help” on Weibo in Wuhan, China (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoman Zhao ◽  
Ju Fan ◽  
Iccha Basnyat ◽  
Baijing Hu
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking

BACKGROUND First detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the novel coronavirus (i.e., “COVID-19”) pandemic stretched the medical system in Wuhan and posed an immense challenge to the state’s risk communication efforts. Timely access to quality healthcare information during outbreaks of infectious diseases can be effective to curtail the spread of disease and feelings of anxiety. While these existing studies have greatly extended our knowledge about online health information seeking behavior, processes and motivations, rarely have the findings been applied to an outbreak. Moreover, there is relatively little recent research on how people in China are using the Internet for seeking health information in a time of a pandemic. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to explore how people in China are using the Internet for seeking health information in a time of a pandemic. Drawing on previous research of online health information seeking, this study asks the following research questions: How was the “#COVID-19 Patient Seeking Help” hashtag being used by patients in Wuhan seeking health information on Weibo at the peak of the outbreak?; What kinds of health information were patients in Wuhan seeking on Weibo at the peak of the outbreak? METHODS Using entity identification and textual analysis on 10908 posts on Weibo, we identified 1496 Coronavirus patients using “#COVID-19 Patient Seeking Help” and explored their online health information seeking behavior. RESULTS The curve of the hashtag posting provided a dynamic picture of public attention to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many patients faced difficulties accessing offline health care services. In general, our findings confirmed that the Internet is used by the Chinese public as an importance source of health information. The lockdown policy was found to cut off the patients’ social support network, preventing them from seeking help from family members. The ability to seek information and help online, especially for those with young children or elderly members was especially essential during the pandemic. A high proportion of female users were seeking health information and help for their parents or for the elder at home. The most searched information included accessing medical treatment; managing self-quarantine; and offline to online support. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the findings contribute to our understanding of health information seeking behaviors during an outbreak and highlight the importance of paying attention to the information need of vulnerable groups and the role social media may play.

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