Exploring Internet and Media-mediated Health Information within the Context of Personal Health Management

Author(s):  
Shelagh K. Genuis

This qualitative paper explores how health information mediated by the internet and media is used and made valuable within the life of consumers managing non-crisis health challenges, and how informal information seeking and gathering influences self-positioning within patient-clinician relationships. Findings have implications for health information literacy and collaborative, patient-centred care.Cette étude qualitative explore comment l’information sur la santé relayée par Internet et les médias est utilisée et rendue utile dans le contexte de consommateurs gérant des problèmes médicaux non urgents, et comment la recherche et la collecte d’information informelles influencent l’auto-positionnement dans la relation patient clinicien. Les résultats ont des applications dans la maîtrise de l’information médicale et les soins collaboratifs centrés sur le patient.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-55
Author(s):  
Elena Link ◽  
Eva Baumann ◽  
Annemiek Linn ◽  
Andreas Fahr ◽  
Peter Schulz ◽  
...  

Patients’ participation in healthcare requires comprehensive health knowledge and can benefit from online health information seeking behaviours (O-HISB). The internet is a particularly vital source for seeking health-related information in many regions of the world. Therefore, we take a European cross-country comparative perspective on O-HISB. We aim to compare the importance of personal, health(care)-related, and cognitive determinants of using the internet for health-related purposes in four European countries. We conducted online surveys among the German, Swiss, Dutch, and Austrian public and described patterns of health information seeking online. The internet seemed to be a widely used source of health information in the four selected European countries. The explanation patterns of personal, health(care)-related, and cognitive factors differ by country and between selecting the internet as a source of health information and the frequency of online use. Using online media appeared to be more common for women and for current health problems. Respondents’ willingness and competencies are essential for online health information seeking. To prevent the increase of social and health-related disparities, there is an urgent need to support underprivileged population groups and increase motivations and eHealth literacy to use the internet for health-related purposes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146045822110247
Author(s):  
Hanife Rexhepi ◽  
Isto Huvila ◽  
Rose-Mharie Åhlfeldt ◽  
Åsa Cajander

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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung-Eun Lee ◽  
Sun Ju Chang ◽  
Eunjin Yang ◽  
Hyunju Ryu

BACKGROUND The Internet use rate of older adults, who were considered underprivileged in the digital world, is steadily increasing. Specifically, the Internet is considered an important channel for providing health information to older adults, who are the largest consumers of medical services. However, due to factors such as technical difficulties, lack of learning opportunities, and deterioration of eHealth literacy, the Internet is not usually a common factor of delivering health information to older adults. Therefore, we developed an intervention program to improve eHealth literacy in older adults according to the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) theory and Intervention Mapping. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to analyze the effect of developed intervention on information, motivation, behavioral skills, and behaviors related to eHealth information in older adults. METHODS This study applied a single group pretest–posttest design. The participants were 46 older adults over the age of 65 recruited from two senior welfare centers in a city in South Korea. We divided the participants into 4 groups and conducted 4 interventions in the computer room of the Senior Welfare Center from March to December 2019. One intervention was performed once a week (2 hours/1 time) for 5 weeks, and the total lecture time was 10 hours. The instructors were all researchers involved in the development of this intervention, and the instructors for each intervention consisted of one lecture instructor and two assistant instructors who supported the participants in the computer practices. RESULTS Participants’computer/web knowledge (χ²= 60.04, P <.001), perceived ease of use (χ²= 17.86, P <.001), perceived enjoyment (χ²= 23.06, P <.001), and attitude toward eHealth information (χ²= 18.47, P <.001) showed statistically significant increases. The eHealth information literacy efficacy score (χ²= 72.76, P< .001), searching performance score (χ²= 162.57, P < .001), and understanding score (χ²= 60.96, P< .001) were also significantly different from those before and after the intervention. However, there was no significant difference in perceived usefulness (χ²= 5.91, P = .052). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the application of the current theory based methodology can improve the quality of research in developing eHealth information literacy interventions. Additionally, it is necessary to develop and continuously apply various interventions to improve eHealth information literacy among older adults. Finally, measures to improve the Internet environment for older adults should be considered.


10.2196/15099 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. e15099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winja Weber ◽  
Anne Reinhardt ◽  
Constanze Rossmann

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.


Author(s):  
Kim Smith

Using the "think aloud" protocol, which allows for the collection of data in real time, the researcher audio taped comments from 13 white college students from a predominately white university in the Southeastern United States and 15 black students from a predominately black university, as they explained how they searched for HIV/AIDS information on the Internet. A grounded theory analysis of the tapes revealed a three-stage model that students progressed through as they searched for HIV/AIDS information on the Internet. That model also revealed that all of the white students searched for general information about HIV/AIDS on the Internet, while all black students searched for general and specific information about how the disease affected the African-American community. Eighty percent of students regardless of race did not know how to properly search for online health information. The researcher discusses the need for online health information literacy training, the theories that might explain why black students searched the way that they did, and the challenges to providing culturally-sensitive online health information literacy training for African-Americans who have been historically suspicious of the United State's health care system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bandar Faisal Al-Mifgai ◽  
Joseph Sharit ◽  
Arzu Onar-Thomas ◽  
Shihab Asfour

Objective: This study examined the ability for adults from a developing country to use a personal health record (PHR) to perform health-management tasks. The effects of gender differences as well as differences in attitudes about using the internet to manage health prior to and after exposure to the PHR were also investigated.Methods: A simulation of a PHR based on a well-established U.S. online patient portal was designed and tailored for this particular study population. Two hundred and three adults with a mean age of 40.9 years were recruited from various areas in Saudi Arabia and asked to perform seven common health-management tasks of varying degrees of difficulty. Their electronic health literacy and health numeracy, as well as their attitudes about using online health systems for managing their health prior to and following their interaction with the PHR, were assessed using questionnaires.Results: After controlling for education, perceived health status, and comfort using the internet, electronic health literacy and health numeracy were still found to be significant predictors of participants’ task performance, but only for the more challenging health-management tasks. No important differences based on gender were found. Exposure to the PHR significantly increased the acceptability of using the internet for managing their health.Conclusions: The change in attitudes following interaction with the PHR suggests that many adults in this society could benefit from these electronic health systems, including females who, due to cultural considerations, may desire greater control in managing their health. However, the importance of electronic health literacy and health numeracy suggests the need for designs that minimize the impact of these factors for successful performance of health-management tasks.


Author(s):  
Lisa Quirke

This poster summarizes the findings of a qualitative, exploratory study on Afghan youth’s information seeking, sharing and use regarding religion. Data collection included interviews and participant observation. Findings included the key role of technology, the iKoran and social networking sites in particular, in facilitating information seeking and sharing on Islam.Cette affiche résume les résultats d’une étude qualitative exploratoire auprès des jeunes femmes afghanes sur leurs pratiques de recherche, de partage et d’utilisation de l’information concernant la religion. Les données recueillies proviennent d’entrevues et d’observation des participantes. Les résultats démontrent le rôle clé de la technologie, iKoran et les sites de réseautage social en particulier, et facilite la recherche et le partage d’information sur l’Islam.


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