Online Healthcare Information Research Articles

Evaluation of healthcare-related factors influencing mental health of Taiwanese citizens among different age groups

The issue of mental health has gained heightened recognition as a significant public health concern due to its potential to significantly impact various aspects of individuals’ lives. Numerous factors may influence mental health, and this study seeks to investigate and compare potential healthcare-related factors that affect the mental health of Taiwanese individuals across different age groups. Data for this study were taken from the Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS), conducted in 2021. Descriptive statistics were calculated to compare the three age groups. Then, multiple regression models were constructed with mental health conditions as the dependent variable and demographics and other key healthcare-related components as independent variables, respectively. Results showed that, among the three age groups, the middle-aged adults had the highest BMI, and the older adults had significantly better mental health. As compared with the other age groups, the older adults had significantly better perceptions of fair distribution of healthcare resources, and their trust in the healthcare system was the highest. With regard to searching for online healthcare information, the frequency reported by the older adults was the lowest. The regression model showed that, religious belief, trust in the healthcare system and searching for online healthcare information were significantly associated with mental health of middle-aged adults. In the younger group, searching for online healthcare information was significantly negatively associated with mental health. The study’s findings provide insight into how to provide Taiwanese citizens of different age groups with proper and targeted mental health promotion activities.

Social media for obesity education: a general overview for the novice creator.

Rates of obesity continue to rise in the United States and across the globe. Obesity is a risk factor for developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. For clinicians, other health care providers, and educators, providing patients with accurate and meaningful information about obesity, including lifestyle (diet and exercise) interventions and symptom monitoring, is challenging because of infrequent contact, methods of communication, a lack of effective patient education resources, and inefficient patient feedback methods. Evidence suggests that significantly more patients are now getting their health care information online from general medical websites, disease-specific network communities, and social media. Thus, harnessing the power of technologies, including personal computers and smartphones, with attention to social media may equip health care providers with methods to serve their patients better by addressing challenges, improving indirect patient contact, and enhancing health outcomes. This article aims to provide an overview of technology with a focus on social media use in obesity education and outreach. Practical information is provided related to creating content, delivering content, and managing the social media space for the novice creator.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Rates of obesity continue to increase. Health care providers have a limited time to cover the nuances of obesity. Technology and social media are tools that can help health care workers provide obesity education to a large audience. This article provides the foundations for obesity education content generation and delivery for the novice creator.

Online health information on sinonasal inverted papillomas: An assessment on readability and quality.

Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is a rare but serious diagnosis, with a paucity of patient-centred information regarding this condition. As more patients are seeking healthcare information online, the quality and comprehensibility of this information becomes ever more important. The aim of the study was to investigate the readability and quality of websites on inverted papilloma. The term IP and seven of its synonyms were inputted into the three of the most commonly used search engines in the English-speaking world (Google, Yahoo and Bing). The first 20 results returned for each search term were then screened with our exclusion criteria. The remaining websites were assessed for their readability using the using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and average grade level (AGL). Quality was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire. Of the 480 websites returned using our search strategy, 410 were excluded using our screening criteria. Removal of duplicates from the remaining 70 websites left 14 for inclusion in the final analysis. The mean FRES score of the remaining websites was 30.5 ± 10 and the mean AGL was 15.2 ± 1.1, corresponding to a reading age of a 21-year-old. The median DISCERN score was 33.5 (30.5-36.5), a score which falls within the 'poor quality' range. The readability and quality of online patient information on IP is far below the expected standard. Healthcare providers have a responsibility to direct patients to appropriate sources of information or consider producing new material should a lack of appropriate sources exist.

Exercises for fibromyalgia syndrome: what YouTube tells us as a source of information for patient and physician education.

YouTube, a popular worldwide source to access health information online, may have an impact in enhancing exercise therapy for fibromyalgia patients. This study is aimed to investigate the quality and reliability of exercise videos prepared for fibromyalgia syndrome on YouTube. A thorough search on YouTube using six search terms related to fibromyalgia treatment and exercise was conducted. The videos with content on exercises for fibromyalgia, acceptable audio-video quality, and are in English language were included, whereas duplicates were excluded from the analysis. Quality was determined using the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and JAMA system, and reliability using the mDISCERN criteria. Out of a total of 600 videos, 70 videos that met the inclusion criteria were included in the analysis. Physicians were found to produce content mostly in high and medium quality (%70.2), other medical professionals mostly in low and medium quality (93.8%), while non-medical users mostly in low quality (86.7%). Ninety percent of the videos targeted patients, while 10% targeted healthcare professionals as an audience, and the majority (93.7%) of videos targeting patients were of low and medium quality, as most (85.7%) of the videos targeting healthcare professionals were of high quality. YouTube can be used as a tool to increase exercise adherence in fibromyalgia patients, as it offers a wide range of content that is easily accessible and useful at times. To implement this tool, physicians need to upload more content online as they stand for pioneers of high-quality information dissemination on the internet. KeyPoints • This research emphasizes the need for high-quality online healthcare information which is accessed by a vast number of individuals and the implementations that effectively address and prevent the spread of misinformation. • Additionally, it presents suggestions for the future regarding the uploading of such content on the internet. • Physicians hold the key responsibility in ensuring the availability of high-quality online health content, thereby carrying significant implications for its overall impact.

Enhancing learning and exploratory search with concept semantics in online healthcare knowledge management systems: An interactive knowledge visualization approach

Healthcare is a knowledge intensive process, which requires large amount of information from various healthcare knowledge providers. However, this growing information makes challengeable for users in finding useful healthcare information to support their healthcare decision making. Knowledge management and knowledge management systems are drawing increasing attention in healthcare community. This paper proposes an online healthcare knowledge management framework and system prototype, featured with integrating knowledge learning and exploratory search for solving problems efficiently. Inspired by the knowledge to action framework in healthcare and the iterative process in software engineering, an iterative and incremental knowledge management model is designed to organize the activities during the knowledge learning and searching procedure. Supported by the knowledge-enhanced infrastructure of online healthcare information designed, domain knowledge learning and task knowledge learning environment can work collaboratively and interactively to improve the result of learning and exploratory search. Knowledge base also provides helpful information in an interactive way for solving problems. Given exploiting probabilistic information retrieval model and concept semantics described in Description Logics, a search intent discovery method and search intent guided learning and searching mechanism are designed within this environment for achieving the learning and search goal. The results of the experiments have proved the efficacy of the methods and process model used in the leaning-focused healthcare knowledge management system.

An Expert Evaluation of Oncology Website Resources for Use in Pediatric Oncology Clinical Nursing Education in Low-Resource Settings.

Background: Online healthcare information is often used by pediatric oncology nurse educators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for teaching clinical nurses as part of their initial orientation or continuing education. Access to peer-reviewed nursing journals via paid subscriptions or sub-specialty nursing textbooks in these settings is rare. This project identified and evaluated websites appropriate for pediatric oncology nurse educators in LMICs for teaching staff nurses, and for clinical staff nurses engaging in self-directed learning. Method: A strategic Google search for childhood cancer websites and an appropriate scoring tool was conducted. The Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose Test, along with a previously published scoring rubric that was further adapted by the authors for pediatric oncology were used. Pediatric content, language options, and reading levels were appraised. Results: Of 86 identified websites, 51 met the inclusion criteria for evaluation. Websites were classified as highly recommended (n = 36), recommended (n = 12), or not recommended (n = 3) based on scores (range 14-30; maximum possible score = 30). Half offered content in multiple languages. Most websites were 9-10th-grade reading level. Discussion: Childhood cancer information appropriate for clinical nurse orientation and self-directed learning by LMIC nurses is available on free websites. Some information (diagnosis, chemotherapy, psychosocial support) is repeated across websites, while some is lacking (pediatric cancer genetics and health equity disparities). Reading levels are higher than recommended for health literacy. The reviewed websites were rarely peer-reviewed, inconsistently updated, and generally self-regulated. However, 48 websites on childhood cancer were deemed appropriate pediatric oncology clinical nursing education resources.

The Influence of Hospital Online Healthcare Information Services on Information Adoption Intention

Based on the findings of previous studies, a new theoretical model of the influence of hospital's online healthcare information services to its elderly patients' information adoption intention was formulated, analyzed, and developed in this present study. Using an online data collection method through a self-administered questionnaire, this study made use of structural equation modeling (SEM) to determine the information adoption intention of elderly patients in China. Results showed that the total effects of elderly patients' information adoption intention revolved around the quality of the online healthcare information channel and its service quality followed by the patients' cognition behaviors such as perceived ease of use and usefulness. Practical implications and recommendations for the improvement of online healthcare information services and information adoption intention in China are discussed further in this present paper.

The reliability, functional quality, understandability, and actionability of fall prevention content in YouTube: an observational study

BackgroundFalls are common but dangerous in the elderly. More and more seniors are searching for healthcare information online. YouTube has become the world’s most popular video streaming platform. Albeit thousands of fall prevention videos are available on YouTube, their reliability, functional quality, understandability, and actionability have not been verified.MethodsThe top 300 watched videos on YouTube related to fall prevention were retrieved. After exclusion, all qualified sample videos were evaluated by three validated assessment instruments (the PEMAT scale, the HONCode scale, and the DISCERN instrument) regarding their reliability, functional quality, understandability, and actionability. Each video’s length, number of views/likes/comments, forms of expression, and the uploader’s profile were collected as well. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was performed for further analysis from the perspective of expression forms and uploaders’ identities.ResultsOne hundred thirty-seven videos (45.67%) were qualified as sample videos, and individuals/organizations with medical backgrounds posted 54.01% of them. Most of the excluded videos (n = 163) were irrelevant (n = 91, 55.83%), and commercial (n = 52, 31.90%). The median video length for sample videos was 470 seconds. The DISCERN instrument indicated that 115 videos (83.94%) were of moderate to high overall quality. Medical practitioners and organizations gained the highest scores in functional quality and reliability (P < 0.05), while they also tended to use technical terms more often (mean = 3.15). The HONCode scale suggested a lack of traceability was common. The most popular and actionable form of expression was workout (n = 58, median score = 86.90, P < 0.05), while monolog and keynote presentations scored the highest in understandability (no significant difference between them). The PEMAT scale suggested videos uploaded by medical teams were the easiest to be understood (P = 0.011 and P < 0.001, respectively), whereas they were less actionable than those made by fitness trainers (P = 0.039 and P < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsCooperation between the medical team and fitness trainers is expected for better health promotion. Plain language is advised, and sources should be provided. As for expression form, monolog or keynote presentations, plus workout clips, might be the most effective.

Evaluation Of The Videos About Intraoral Devices For Bruxism On YouTube

Background: Stabilization splints can prevent unwanted effects of bruxism. As online healthcare information becomes more popular, Youtube has become the first source for users to consult about their health problems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality, reliability and content of the Youtube videos about intraoral devices in order to evaluate whether there is a reliable and useful source for bruxism patients. Methods: In this study, the term “Night Guard” was searched on YouTube. Sixty videos on the subject were evaluated in terms of content, quality and reliability. The included videos were analyzed for views, duration, time since video upload, likes / dislikes, number of comments and source. Each video was classified according to the quality of information content as “useful information”, “misleading information”, “useful user view” and “misleading user view”. The Kruskal-Wallis test, The Mann-Whitney Chi-square test correlation analyses were performed. Results: 18 videos (30%) were uploaded by healthcare professionals, 22 videos (37%) by users, 14 videos (23%) by product supliers, and 6 videos (10%) by TV / Magazine publishers. In examining the Global Quality Scales (GQS), healthcare professionals has higher scores than others. Reliability scores of the videos uploaded by healthcare professionals are significantly higher than the other groups. (P: 0,003) Also, 17 (%28,3) of the 60 videos are in the misleading video category. Conclusion: Youtube can be a platform with the potential for misleading in the use of intraoral devices. Health-related issues should not be tried to be resolved without professional support.

863 Online Patient Resources to Support Shared Decision Making for Fundoplication Surgery: A Systematic Review

Abstract Aim The royal college of Surgeons’ Supported Decision-Making guidance details how patients should access information necessary to make clinical decisions alongside their medical team. As patients become more reliant on information found via the internet, it is important to ensure that there are suitable, validated, and appropriate resources. This study aims to assess the quality of online patient information related to anti reflux (Fundoplication) surgery and we believe this review is first of its kind with regards to surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Method A comprehensive, targeted search was made of online healthcare information relating to Fundoplication surgery. Search terms ‘fundoplication’ and ‘anti-reflux surgery’ were entered into three main search engines using a pre-defined search strategy. Websites were assessed according to their readability (Klesch-Kincaid Reading Ease Score), quality and content (International Patient Decision Aids Standards (IPDAS) and DISCERN scores) as well as the presence of accreditation. The PRISM and AMSTAR guidelines have been followed in this article. Results Overall, 74 sources from three search engines were found. Duplicates were removed and pre-defined eligibility criteria applied, giving 40 sources for analysis. The mean readability score was higher than the recommended score for patient education materials, while the IPDAS and DISCERN scores were low. There were only 22.5% of the websites accredited by the HANcode. No statistical significance was found on the overall quality of websites between the accredited and non-accredited websites Conclusions Patient information available online for fundoplication is difficult to read and of poor quality impacting negatively on shared decision-making.

Negative Online Ratings of Joint Replacement Surgeons: An Analysis of 6,402 Reviews

BackgroundWith the expanding accessibility of online health-care information, patients frequently report visiting physician rating websites before choosing a surgeon. As such, it is important to analyze patients’ perception of arthroplasty surgeons as reflected on physician rating websites. MethodsA total of 6402 online reviews of arthroplasty surgeons were extracted for analysis. Each review rated less than 5 on a 5-point scale was deemed a “negative” review and was subsequently assigned to an appropriate category. Reviews were stratified by practice type, years in practice, gender, and low (<3) vs high (> 3) ratings. ResultsA total of 6402 reviews comprising 315 physicians were included in the analysis. The average rating for all surgeons was 4.35. The average rating for physicians in private practice was 4.3, compared to 4.5 for those in an academic setting. The average rating for physicians in practice for 1-10 years was 4.46, compared to 4.03 for those with >10 years of experience (P < .001). The most common factors contributing to negative reviews were bedside manner, wait time, poor outcome, and surgeon proficiency. Surgeon-dependent factors were more commonly associated with lower rated reviews (P < .001). ConclusionsArthroplasty surgeons typically receive high online ratings, with a mean of 4.35 on a 5-point scale. Physicians in academic practice received higher ratings than those in private practice, and physicians who have been in practice for 1-10 years received higher ratings than those with more than 10 years in practice. The most common factors contributing to negative reviews are surgeon-dependent, including bedside manner, poor outcome, and surgeon proficiency.

Vitiligo Health Education: A Study of Accuracy and Engagement of Online Educational Materials.

Many vitiligo patients seek healthcare information online. However, the accuracy and quality of this information is unknown. To determine the accuracy, quality, viewer engagement, and viewer experience of vitiligo videos on social media. We searched the term &ldquo;vitiligo&rdquo; on YouTube. Videos were stratified based on source categories. Video accuracy was assessed using DAS and ANDI. Video quality was assessed using GQS. Viewer experience was assessed using AVA. Sixty videos were evaluated for inclusion and exclusion criteria. We evaluated 49 videos with a total of 28.2 million views, 431,416 likes, and 61,976 comments. Of these videos, 27 (55%) were from healthcare sources, and 22 (45%) were from non-healthcare sources. When compared to videos from non-healthcare sources, videos from healthcare sources had significantly higher accuracy scores (ANDI = 3.69 &plusmn; 0.16 vs 2.77 &plusmn; 0.36; P=0.017 and DAS = 3.72 &plusmn; 0.13 vs 3.07 &plusmn; 0.28; P=0.029) but significantly fewer views (38,883 vs 1,231,947; P=0.005). Videos from alternative medicine sources had the lowest accuracy scores when compared to the remainder of the videos (ANDI = 0.5 &plusmn; 0.13 vs 3.66 &plusmn; 0.14; P&lt;0.001 and DAS = 1.25 &plusmn; 0.11 vs 3.73 &plusmn; 0.11; P&lt;0.001). Inaccurate videos on vitiligo are prevalent on social media. Misinformation can lead to potentially harmful interventions and delay in seeking evidence-based care. Videos from healthcare sources were more accurate but were viewed less than those from non-healthcare sources. Further efforts are needed to improve the visibility and viewer experience of accurate healthcare content on social media. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(6):623-629. doi:10.36849/JDD.5835.

Psybersecurity: A New Emerging Topic and Research Area Within Human Security, Part 2

During these current COVID-19 times of tension, stress, lockdown-driven isolation, social distancing, and economic recession, opportunities to exploit others have risen dramatically for hackers. Cybersecurity attacks are being orchestrated around individual weaknesses related to face masks, preventative care, stimulus checks, and unemployment issues [1]. Hackers' awareness of human vulnerabilities has become more apparent over the COVID outbreak through the latest cybersecurity attacks, including social engineering cases such as phishing, vishing, internet fraud, and online scams. Due to the ongoing pandemic, health has been placed at the forefront of media, and individually prompt-ed healthcare research has risen dramatically [2]. Now more than ever, people are turning to the Internet for critical healthcare information, including information about COVID and other diseases, as well as information on healthcare providers and medical professionals that influence one's healthcarerelated decision making. The independent online search for healthcare without professional intervention may result in users finding misinformation online, for example, incorrect, fabricated, or fraudulent healthcare information.

Stopping healthcare misinformation: The effect of financial incentives and legislation

Fake news and misinformation have become a major social issue. And yet, many researchers concern primarily about political misinformation, leaving healthcare misinformation less emphasized. Nevertheless, healthcare misinformation may create consequences such as delayed diagnosis or treatment of patients or even public health crisis. We conducted an online experiment to test the role of financial incentives and legislation on disseminating online healthcare misinformation. Our findings revealed that financial incentives have a positive but diminishing impact on the likelihood of sharing online healthcare information regardless of validity. However, financial incentives have a stronger impact on attracting readers to share healthcare misinformation that they perceived to be fake. Surprisingly, legislation may deter the sharing of healthcare information that users perceive to be true but cannot deter them from sharing the healthcare misinformation they perceive to be fake. We also provided some practical implications for formulating measures of battling against healthcare misinformation for policymakers.

A Novel Framework for Analysing Online Healthcare Information with Text mining Techniques

A Novel Framework for Analysing Online Healthcare Information with Text mining Techniques

Caught in the net: Characterizing how testicular cancer patients use the internet as an information source.

Over 70% of Canadians who use the internet search for healthcare information online. This is especially true regarding the young adult population. Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men aged 15-29. This study characterizes how testicular cancer patients access healthcare information online, and how this influences their clinical encounters and treatment decisions. From June 2018 to January 2019, a survey consisting of 24 open- and close-ended questions was distributed to testicular cancer patients at a tertiary cancer center. Survey results were evaluated using mixed methods analysis. Fifty-nine surveys were distributed and 44 responses were received. All respondents used the internet regularly and 82% used the internet as a source of information regarding their cancer. The majority followed top hits from Google when selecting websites to view. Frequent topics searched included treatment details and survivorship concerns. Eighty-nine percent of users found online information easy to understand and 94% found it increased their understanding. For 47% of users, the internet did not influence their clinical consultation nor their treatment decision (53%). Most testicular cancer patients in this study are regular internet users and use the internet to search for testicular cancer information. Healthcare providers should recognize this, and can play important roles in discussing online findings with patients to assess their background knowledge and expectations, as well as providing guidance on selecting credible online resources. The results of this study can be used to improve patient-physician communication and education.

Readability of online COVID-19 health information: a comparison between four English speaking countries

BackgroundThe internet is now the first line source of health information for many people worldwide. In the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, health information is being produced, revised, updated and disseminated at an increasingly rapid rate. The general public are faced with a plethora of misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the readability of online information has an impact on their understanding of the disease. The accessibility of online healthcare information relating to COVID-19 is unknown. We sought to evaluate the readability of online information relating to COVID-19 in four English speaking regions: Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, and compare readability of website source provenance and regional origin.MethodsThe Google® search engine was used to collate the first 20 webpage URLs for three individual searches for ‘COVID’, ‘COVID-19’, and ‘coronavirus’ from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. The Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Flesch-Kincaid Grade (FKG) Score, Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) score were calculated to assess the readability.ResultsThere were poor levels of readability webpages reviewed, with only 17.2% of webpages at a universally readable level. There was a significant difference in readability between the different webpages based on their information source (p < 0.01). Public Health organisations and Government organisations provided the most readable COVID-19 material, while digital media sources were significantly less readable. There were no significant differences in readability between regions.ConclusionMuch of the general public have relied on online information during the pandemic. Information on COVID-19 should be made more readable, and those writing webpages and information tools should ensure universal accessibility is considered in their production. Governments and healthcare practitioners should have an awareness of the online sources of information available, and ensure that readability of our own productions is at a universally readable level which will increase understanding and adherence to health guidelines.

An interactive website to aid young women’s choice of contraception: feasibility and efficacy RCT

Background Effective use of contraception can reduce numbers of unintended pregnancies, but misunderstandings and concerns about contraception abound. Increasingly, women seek health-care information online. Objectives To develop an interactive website to aid informed choice of contraceptive method, including long-acting reversible contraception (Phase I), and test its effectiveness in a parallel, single-blind randomised trial (Phase II). Approval came from London – Camden &amp; King’s Cross Research Ethics Committee (reference 17/LO/0112). Setting and participants For both phases, women aged 15–30 years were recruited from general practice, sexual health services, maternity services, community pharmacies and an abortion service. Design In Phase I, we conducted three systematic literature reviews, a review of YouTube (YouTube, LLC, San Bruno, CA, USA) videos about contraception, and focus groups and interviews with young women to explore barriers to and concerns and misperceptions about contraception. We then iteratively co-designed an interactive website, Contraception Choices [URL: www.contraceptionchoices.org (accessed June 2020)], with young women and a software company. In Phase II, we evaluated the website through a randomised trial that began as a feasibility trial. Early demand for Contraception Choices stimulated a design change from a feasibility to an efficacy trial, with follow-up for clinical outcomes at 3 and 6 months. A randomisation list was incorporated into the trial software program to allocate participants to the intervention (website) or control group (standard care). Intervention Contraception Choices is a co-designed, evidence-based, interactive website to aid informed choice of contraception. It provides information about different methods, addresses common concerns and offers tailored contraceptive options in response to individual preferences. Main outcome measures Qualitative – participant views and experience of the intervention, assessed through qualitative interviews. Quantitative primary outcomes – follow-up rate at 6 months in the initial feasibility trial, using a long-acting reversible contraception method, and satisfaction with contraceptive method at 6 months in the efficacy trial. Results A total of 927 women were randomised online to the website (n = 464) or control group (n = 463), of whom 739 (80%) provided follow-up data at 6 months [786 women (85%) provided data at 3 and/or 6 months that were included in the analysis of primary outcomes]. There was little difference between groups in the proportion using long-acting reversible contraception at 6 months [30.4% intervention vs. 31.0% control, adjusted odds ratio after imputation 0.87 (95% confidence interval 0.60 to 1.27)] or in satisfaction with contraceptive method [proportion being ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’, 82.6% intervention vs. 82.1% control, adjusted odds ratio 0.93 (95% confidence interval 0.69 to 1.25)]. Qualitative evaluation indicated highly positive views about the website and increased knowledge of contraceptive methods that could dispel misperceptions. Women appreciated having information tailored to their specific needs and felt better prepared before consultations. Limitations We did not include intermediate measures, such as knowledge of contraceptive methods, intention to change method or confidence in discussing contraception with a health-care professional, which may have indicated other benefits of using the website. In future, the website should be studied in different settings (e.g. schools and in routine practice) to see whether or not it improves the quality or efficiency of contraceptive consultations. Conclusions Our systematic review indicated wide-ranging influences on women’s use of contraception globally. The website, Contraception Choices, was very popular with young women and contraception service providers. It was not associated with statistically significant differences in use of long-acting reversible contraception or satisfaction with contraceptive method at 6 months. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN13247829. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 24, No. 56. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Understanding Millennial Moms' Choices: A Nursing Survey About Childbirth Education in Primigravid Women.

Primigravid women, at some point, feel the need to gain education about childbirth. Our objective was to identify where primigravid millennial moms are seeking their childbirth education. This study, a quantitative nonexperimental survey research, was designed within the context of developmental transition theory. Childbearing women were recruited, considering the phenomenon to be studied. This purposive sample of 100 participants included primigravid millennial mothers (born between 1978 and 1994), status post vaginal birth, or emergent cesarean surgery, on a 455-bed, acute care facility. All participants were able to speak, understand, and read English or Spanish fluently. The author used a self-report survey to collect data from the participants. Primigravid women responded to a series of questions posed by the investigator. Considering the participants' variety of reading levels and their ability to communicate in writing, special attention was given to the simplicity and clarity of the questions on the survey. The responses provided by the participants suggested the need to enhance current childbirth education into culturally friendly and evidence-based technological information. Websites, apps, and social media are important information channels to reach and disseminate valuable childbirth education for millennial primigravid women. However, these channels are not currently being used to their full potential, considering the amount of information available and lack of guidance and clarity to disseminate trustworthy health-care information. By understanding millennial moms' choices, we gain the opportunity to deliver better education and support to Internet savvy women who are seeking online health-care information.

Evaluation of the Online-Presence of ABA-Verified Burn Centers.

Currently, patients seek healthcare information online. An up-to-date online presence is vital for success among the competition amid hospitals. Hospital websites have become an important medium to communicate with patients, provide information about certain diseases/conditions, and advertise healthcare services. This study aims to evaluate burn centers websites verified by the American Burn Association (ABA). The online presence of the 73 ABA-verified burn centers was evaluated according to criteria previously published by Benedikt et al. This included general information on burns, first aid, treatment at the burn unit, research, and education. ABA-verified burn centers were then compared with 48 German-speaking burn centers evaluated by Benedikt et al. Online information about patient care including treatment options and techniques was more often present in ABA-verified burn centers. However, this information was still provided in only half of the websites. Furthermore, ABA-verified burn centers more often used multimedia-based elements and social media platforms. On the other hand, German-speaking burn centers more often provided translations, general information (eg, staff and ward) about the burn center, as well as research and education. This study demonstrates that although many burn centers have well-designed websites, relevant burn-related information on patient care, research, and education is often missing or sparse. Today, most patients look for healthcare information online. Also, applicants for residency or fellowship programs tend to get a first picture of their potential employer on websites or social media. Keeping websites and social media up-to-date and informative can improve recruitment of patients and employees.