Search For Advice Research Articles

An assessment of older adults' selection of over‐the‐counter medication: What information are they utilizing during the selection process?

AbstractHerein, we investigate the information older adults use when selecting over‐the‐counter (OTC) medications. Two specific objectives framed our work: (1) determine what information older adults believe to be important when selecting an OTC and (2) determine what information they believe to be important when assessing an OTC product's appropriateness for use. Five focus groups comprised of OTC users aged 65+ (total n = 24) were led using a moderator guide which incorporated surveys, individual activities and guide group discussions in support of these objectives. Complete transcripts of group discussions were coded into emergent themes and analysed in conjunction with survey results. Four broad themes were identified: price, search for advice, perception of efficacy and perception of safety. While we framed our study specific to labelling information, expecting older consumers to use a deliberative decision‐making process, typical of products that carry risk, what emerged was the fact that they utilized a habit‐based process that was largely driven by price comparisons and previous success with products. The specific, intensive information from the Drug Facts Label (DFL) required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which we had designed our questions around, was not the information discussed intently by our participants. Data suggests that they rely on simple heuristics available through other aspects of the packaging.

The Loser's Curse in the Search for Advice

An agent searches sequentially for advice from multiple experts concerning the payoff of taking an operation. After incurring a positive search cost, the agent can consult an expert, whose interest is partially aligned with him. There are infinitely many experts, each has access to an identically and conditionally independent signal structure about the payoff, and each makes a recommendation after observing the signal realization. We find that the experts face a loser's curse, which could hamper the quality of information transmission. This effect is illustrated by studying the limit of equilibria with vanishing search cost. The main findings are as follows. First, there are signal structures with which both the agent's payoff and social welfare are strictly lower than the alternative scenario in which the agent commits to consulting a single expert only. Second, under some signal structures, no information can be transmitted in equilibrium, even though informative recommendation is possible if the agent could commit to a single expert. Finally, we identify the necessary and sufficient condition that ensures perfect information aggregation in the limit.

The loser's curse in the search for advice

An agent searches sequentially for advice from multiple experts concerning the payoff of taking an operation. After incurring a positive search cost, the agent can consult an expert whose interest is partially aligned with him. There are infinitely many experts, each has access to an identically and conditionally independent signal structure about the payoff, and each makes a recommendation after observing the signal realization. We find that the experts face a loser's curse, which could hamper the quality of information transmission. This effect is illustrated by studying the limit of equilibria with vanishing search cost. The main findings are as follows. First, there are signal structures with which both the agent's payoff and social welfare are strictly lower than the alternative scenario in which the agent commits to consulting a single expert only. Second, under some signal structures, no information can be transmitted in equilibrium, even though informative recommendation is possible if the agent could commit to a single expert. Finally, we identify the necessary and sufficient condition that ensures perfect information aggregation in the limit.

Thinking About Cognitive Function: Perceptions of Cognitive Changes in People With Type 2 Diabetes.

Purpose The purpose of this study is 2-fold: (1) to explore how people with diabetes view diabetes-related cognitive problems and (2) to examine participants' ideas on a cognitive rehabilitation intervention to adapt it for persons diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods A qualitative descriptive study based on narrative interviews was conducted with adults (n = 10) with T2DM. The interview data were analyzed using content analysis. Results The interviews reflected 4 major themes: search for advice regarding cognitive complaints, cognitive symptoms, impact of perceived cognitive dysfunction on diabetes self-management, and maintenance of cognitive health. Specific areas of interest for an intervention included the following: understanding how cognitive function relates to diabetes, dealing with cognitive barriers to self-management, and learning how to incorporate a "brain healthy" lifestyle into daily activities. Conclusions Findings showed that perceived cognitive impairment impacted self-management and suggested that cognitive rehabilitation interventions have potential utility for people with T2DM. Existing successful interventions can be tailored to meet the needs of those whose diabetes self-management is impacted by cognitive problems.

EFFECTS OF MEDICAL DISPUTES ON INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND NEGATIVE ONLINE WORD-OF-MOUTH.

Emotions play an important role in human behavior. Negative emotions resulting from medical disputes are problems for medical personnel to solve but also have a significant impact on a hospital's reputation and people's trust in the hospital. One medical dispute case was chosen from an Internet news source to assess the correlation between people's negative emotions and negative online word-of-mouth. Convenience sampling was used in school faculties and university students who had shared their medical treatment experiences online were the research participants. A total of 221 Taiwanese participants volunteered (158 women, 63 men; ages: 26.7% under 19, 22.6% 20-29, 30.8% 30-39,19.9% over 40). Four negative emotions were measured using rating scales: uncertainty, anger, disappointment, and sadness. Four negative online word-of-mouth measures were: venting, advice search, helping receiver, and revenge. A modeled relationship was assessed by partial least square method (PLS). Then, people's positive emotions were further analyzed to assess changes after spreading negative word-of-mouth. The results showed that uncertainty had a positive effect on venting and advice search. People who felt anger or regret spread word-of-mouth in order to help the receiver. Disappointment may trigger the revenge behavior of negative word-of-mouth. Negative emotions could be relieved after engaging in the behavior of helping the receiver.

Exploring the opinions and perspectives of general practitioners towards the use of social networking sites for concussion management

Social networking sites (SNSs) are increasingly being used for health-related purposes. Many patients now use sites such as Facebook to discuss symptoms, seek support, and search for advice on health conditions, including concussion. Innovative methods of delivering health information using these technologies are starting to emerge and it is important to seek the input of key stakeholder groups (including general practitioners) to establish their feasibility and to highlight areas of concern. This study aimed to seek the opinions of general practitioners towards the use of SNSs in concussion management. Semi-structured interviews were captured with a digital voice recorder and analysed using interpretative description methodology. Participants were general practitioners whose caseload included persons with a concussion between the ages of 16 and 30 years, and who had treated a patient with a concussion in the past 12 months. The clinical experience of the participants ranged from 3 to 35 years and 50% of the participants had a Facebook account themselves. While all participants were positive towards the use of SNSs for this purpose, concerns were raised regarding the issues of privacy and moderation. SNSs, particularly Facebook, have the potential (if correctly utilised) to be a viable adjunct to traditional concussion management programmes. In order for SNSs to be successfully used in this manner, the quality of information shared needs to be accurate and patients using them need to ensure that they get adequate cognitive rest.

How To Survive and Thrive in the Mother-Mentor Marathon

This article is for women who ask whether it is possible to combine motherhood with academia and still be successful and happy. It is also for those working with, bosses of, or married to such women, giving them a better feel for the challenges mothers in academia face, and the strategies that can be used to survive and thrive in both of these worlds.

The Real Invisible Hand: Presidential Appointees in the Administration of George W. Bush

It was to be the single most visible decision of George W. Bush's first year in office, inspiring even a rare prime-time televised address to announce and explain to the American people his decision on government support for stem cell research. For weeks, the White House press office told of the President's wide-ranging search for advice: the meetings with ethicists and scientists, with interest group representatives, and with dozens of ordinary citizens.