Relative Quality of Internet-Derived Oesophageal Cancer Information

2010 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
TD Reid ◽  
C Beaton ◽  
IL Davies ◽  
D Arnold ◽  
JBM Ward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Worldwide internet access is increasing exponentially. The UK Government Office for National Statistics reported that between 2002 and 2009 the proportion of UK households with internet access increased from 46% to 70%. Between 2007 and 2009 the proportion of UK adults using the internet to access health information rose from 27% to 42%. Similar situations exist in Continental Europe and the USA, where 52% of internet users and 61% of adults respectively search online for medical information. In 2003 it was estimated that 4.5% of all internet searches globally were for health related information. Moreover, patients now frequently choose to seek health information online. Indeed Hesse et al reported that almost one in two patients search the internet before consulting a physician.

scholarly journals Readability of Prostate Cancer Information Online: A Cross-Sectional Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1665-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey H. Basch ◽  
Danna Ethan ◽  
Sarah A. MacLean ◽  
Joseph Fera ◽  
Phillip Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Browser ◽  
Health Related

Reading and understanding health information, both components of health literacy, can influence patient decisions related to disease management. Older adults, the population of males at greatest risk for prostate cancer, may have compromised capacity to understand and use health information. The purpose of this study was to determine the readability of prostate cancer materials on the Internet using five recommended readability tests. Using a cleared Internet browser, a search was conducted for “prostate cancer.” The URLs of the first 100 websites in English were recorded to create the sample. The readability scores for each website were determined using an online, recommended service. This service generates five commonly recommended readability tests. All five tests revealed that the majority of websites had difficult readability. There were no significant differences identified between websites with .org, .gov, or .edu extension versus those with .com, .net, or other extension. It is apparent that the Internet is used often as a resource for health-related information. This study demonstrates that the large majority of information available on the Internet about prostate cancer will not be readable for many individuals.

scholarly journals Use of internet as source of medical information and its impact among young Transylvanian Hungarian people - a comparative study

2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-59
Author(s):  
Kocsis Loránd ◽  
Szabó Mónika
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Health Related

Abstract The internet is the most popular information source in our digital world. Studies confirm that numerous people are using the internet to look up health-related information. There is no information about this trend among the Transylvanian Hungarian population. Our purpose was to assess the role of the internet in answering health-related problems for young Hungarian Transylvanian people, and its impact. The participants (N=351) completed an online questionnaire with 28 items, which was available on Facebook, on the first page indicating their consent to a voluntary and anonymous survey. Our target was the generation below the age of 45. Descriptive, then comparative analysis was performed, based on gender and region of origin. 95.3% of the participants used the internet for finding health-related information, diagnosis, treatment or diet, without significant difference between subgroups, 70% at least once a month. Only 3.3% were instructed by their physician about the websites that provide health information, while 90% would require it. At least 64% of the respondents makes self-diagnosis at least sometimes, women more often, and nearly 25% frequently or always check the doctor’s opinion and/or the recommended treatment online. 40% of cases consider that their self-diagnosis was often the same as the physician’s final diagnosis, but only 33,2% agreed totally with their doctor. 47,4% of them were scared and/or became worried because of the information from the internet, especially women. Based on the above, it is clear that online health information overtakes the traditional doctor-centered health information and makes it necessary for us to change our perspective of digital healthcare.

scholarly journals The Internet as a source of health-related information among Internet users in the Lodz region, Poland

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 221-224
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Kardas ◽  
Agnieszka Daszyńska ◽  
Małgorzata Koziarska-Rościszewska
Keyword(s):  
The Internet ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Health Related

Abstract 249: Online Health Information for Myocardial Infarction: Trusted Source or Fake News?

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishak Kumar ◽  
Mohammed Abualenain ◽  
Andrew D Choi
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Mozilla Firefox ◽  
Assess Quality

Objective: As the internet is a leading destination for health information for patients, there is a need for this information to be accurate and easy to understand. In this study, we assessed the quality and readability of online health related information for myocardial infarction (MI) directed towards patients. Methods: Websites were collected from 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo! and Bing) using the search term “Heart Attack” on a newly installed Mozilla Firefox browser. The first 30 websites from each engine were selected and those belonging to advertisements, new articles and physician oriented sites were excluded. The resulting sites were assessed for quality using the DISCERN instrument via 2 physician investigators knowledgeable in MI and blinded to each other’s results; following this, the results were discussed amidst the team to agree on a coalesced score for each website. Health On the Net (HONcode) was also used as an added measure to assess quality. Readability was assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Ease (FLRE) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade level (FLGL) tool. Results: Overall, 24 websites were assessed. The average overall quality for DISCERN was 2.58 out of 5 with a median of 2.5 while the average total DISCERN score was 37.75 out of 80; the highest total quality among them being 61 out of 80. Only 29.17% (7 of 24) of the websites were HONcode certified. The average FLRE was 59.07 out of 100, while the average FLGL was 7.28 with the lowest grade level being 5.20. Conclusion: Patient health related information, on average, were of lower quality, while those higher quality websites were deemed less readable and needed a higher level of education to understand. The average reading grade level was that of the 7 th grade which is lower than what the average American reads at (8 th grade). The highest quality website based on total DISCERN score was from Wikipedia, however FLRE and FLGL tell us it was also harder to comprehend for the average American. Going forward there are important opportunities to improve the quality of online health related information for MI, in order to remain a trusted source of medical information for patients.

Quality of Health Information on the Internet

2009 ◽  
pp. 443-455
Author(s):  
Kleopatra Alamantariotou
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Effective Use

Recent statistics show that the World Wide Web has now grown to over 100 million sites: a phenomenal expansion in only 15 years (Mulligan 2007). It has been estimated that there are 100,000 sites offering health related information (Wilson 2002). As the amount of health information increases, the public find it increasingly difficult to decide what to accept and what to reject (Burgess 2007). Searching for information on the internet is both deceptively easy and the same time frustratingly difficult (Kiley 2002). The challenge for consumers is to find high quality, relevant information as quickly as possible. There has been ongoing debate about the quality of information aimed at patients and the general public and opinions differ on how it can be improved (Stepperd 1999). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the different perspectives on information quality and to review the main criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the internet. Pointers are provided to enable both clinicians and patients find high quality information sources. An understanding of these issues should help health professionals and patients to make effective use of the internet.

Mining of Medical Trends Using Social Networks

2016 ◽  
pp. 164-182
Author(s):  
Shruti Kohli ◽  
Sonia Saini
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Social Intelligence ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Public Health Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Post Marketing ◽  
The Media

Recent work in machine learning and natural language processing has studied the content of health related information in tweets and demonstrated the potential for extracting useful public health information from their aggregation. Social intelligence derived from health content has become of significant importance for various applications, including post-marketing drug surveillance, competitive intelligence, medicine reviews and to assess health-related opinions and sentiments. Further, the quantity of medical information in the media such as tweets on Twitter, Facebook or medical blogs is growing at an exponential rate. Medical data such as health records, drug data, etc. has become major candidates for Big Data analysis and thus exploring this content has become a necessity for organizations. However, the volume, velocity, variety, and quality of online health information present challenges, necessitating enhanced facilitation mechanisms for medical social computing. The objective of this chapter is to discuss the possibility of mining medical trends using Social Networks.

Students Seeking Health-related Information over Internet

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 352-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asad Ahmad ◽  
Mohammed Naved Khan
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Related Information ◽  
College Going ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Acceptance Model

The use of Internet to search information related to health has become a common phenomenon. This article investigates the seeking of health-related information of the college going students over the Internet. The researchers have tested the technology acceptance model (TAM) to determine the behavioural intention of the students to seek health-related information over the Internet. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the students who were involved in Internet use. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to the responded data. The results showed that it is the perceived usefulness (PU) which has a direct impact on the behavioural intention of the Internet users to search health-related information over the Internet.

Exploring the use of internet by university students for seeking health related information

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asad Ahmad ◽  
Mohammed Naved Khan ◽  
Obaidur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Tam Model ◽  
Health Related ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Use Of Internet

Purpose Internet is both a medium and a platform for information exchange. This characteristic of internet is gradually metamorphosing it into an e-learning enabler. A significant percentage of internet users access health-related information through the medium of internet, but little is known about the factors that determine such behaviour. This study aims to explore the factors that determine the behaviour of those seeking health-related information in the virtual world. Design/methodology/approach The present study analyses the role of perceived ease of usefulness (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), self-efficacy (SE) and information quality (IQ) on the intention (IU) of the internet users to seek health-related information. Researcher-controlled sampling was used for data collection from 210 university students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), t-test and correlation have been used for data analysis. Findings The results of the study demonstrate that except SE, all other factors have a positive relationship with the intention of the users to seek health-related information. The findings suggest that PU and IQ overshadow PEOU in encouraging the users seeking such health-related information over the internet. Originality/value The present study extends the understanding of e-learning adoption associated with seeking health-related information. The researchers propose an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) model to study the factors influencing the use of internet in seeking health-related information by the students enrolled in medical and non-medical courses.

scholarly journals Health-Related Internet Use Among Men With Prostate Cancer in Canada: Cancer Registry Survey Study

10.2196/14241 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. e14241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline L Bender ◽  
Deb Feldman-Stewart ◽  
Christine Tong ◽  
Karen Lee ◽  
Michael Brundage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Broadband Internet ◽  
Health Decisions ◽  
Health Related

Background After a prostate cancer diagnosis, men want information about their disease and treatment options. The internet offers a convenient means to deliver health information to patients with prostate cancer. However, there are concerns about the use of the internet among this largely senior population. Objective This study aimed to determine the patterns and factors associated with the use of the internet as a source of health information among Canadian men with prostate cancer and the features and information required in a website. Methods Population surveys were conducted in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario) in 2014-2015. Data analyses included descriptive, bivariable, and multivariable analyses. The Pearson Chi-square and univariable regression were used to examine associations between independent variables and health-related internet use. Correlates of health-related internet use were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Results A total of 1362 patients responded across the four provinces. The mean age of respondents was 69 years (SD 8.2). In addition, 82% (n=1071) were internet users and 71% (n=910) used the internet daily. Further, 65% (n=784) used the internet as a source of prostate cancer information, and 40% (n=521) were confident about using information obtained from the internet to make health decisions. Men who used the internet to obtain prostate cancer information were more likely to be active information seekers (odds ratio [OR]: 4.5, 95% CI 2.6-7.8), be confident using information from the internet to make health decisions (OR: 3.6, 95% CI 2.3-5.7), have broadband internet access (OR: 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), and have more unmet supportive care needs (OR: 1.05, 95% CI 1.0-1.1). Top features wanted in a website, reported by more than 50% of respondents, were a library of resources (n=893, 65.6%), tools to support treatment decision making (n=815, 59.8%), and tools to help navigate the prostate cancer journey (n=698, 51.2%). Top three topics of information wanted in such a website were treatment options (n=916, 67.3%), disease progression (n=904, 66.4%), and management of side effects (n=858, 63%). Conclusions Over two-thirds of Canadian patients with prostate cancer surveyed use the internet as a source of health information about prostate cancer, but over half did not feel confident using information from the internet to make health decisions. Being an active information seeker, having confidence in using information from the internet to make health decisions, having broadband internet, and having more unmet supportive care needs were significantly associated with health-related internet use. Future work should examine electronic health literacy interventions as a means to boost men’s confidence in using information from the internet and design websites that include information and features that help men navigate the prostate cancer journey and support treatment decision making and management of side effects.

Quality of Health Information on the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 204-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kleopatra Alamantariotou
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Effective Use

Recent statistics show that the World Wide Web has now grown to over 100 million sites: a phenomenal expansion in only 15 years (Mulligan 2007). It has been estimated that there are 100,000 sites offering health related information (Wilson 2002). As the amount of health information increases, the public find it increasingly difficult to decide what to accept and what to reject (Burgess 2007). Searching for information on the internet is both deceptively easy and the same time frustratingly difficult (Kiley 2002). The challenge for consumers is to find high quality, relevant information as quickly as possible. There has been ongoing debate about the quality of information aimed at patients and the general public and opinions differ on how it can be improved (Stepperd 1999). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the different perspectives on information quality and to review the main criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the internet. Pointers are provided to enable both clinicians and patients find high quality information sources. An understanding of these issues should help health professionals and patients to make effective use of the internet.

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