Online Health Information Research Articles

Evaluating online health information utilisation and its psychosocial implications among breast cancer survivors: Qualitative explorations.

This study investigated the online information-seeking behaviours of breast cancer patients at Jordan University Hospital, focusing on their dissatisfaction with available online health resources and its impact on their well-being and anxiety levels. Employing descriptive phenomenology and convenience sampling, we conducted five Skype-based focus groups with 4-6 breast cancer survivors each, from March to July 2020. Data analysis was performed using NVivo, following Braun and Clark's inductive thematic analysis framework. The thematic analysis revealed critical insights into survivors' interactions with online cancer resources, identifying key subthemes such as the quality of online information, cyberchondriasis, health literacy and search strategies, the distress caused by counterproductive searches, and the tendency to avoid internet searches. The study underscores the challenges breast cancer survivors face in accessing online health information, especially in Arabic. It highlights the need to improve the quality and accessibility of these resources. Enhancing the cultural relevance of online materials and educating patients on effective information evaluation are crucial. These measures can significantly boost health literacy, mitigate anxiety, and provide better support for breast cancer survivors.

Factors influencing proxy online health information seeking among the elderly: A study from the perspective of the elderly with chronic illnesses.

With the ageing population in China and an increasing number of the elderly developing chronic illnesses, health services for the elderly have become a major concern. They have significant needs for health information (HI) such as online medical consultation, disease prevention, and medical insurance. To explore the influencing factors and their relative significance in proxy online health information (OHI) seeking among the elderly with chronic illnesses so as to provide a reference for enriching theoretical research and optimizing care for the elderly with chronic illness. Twenty-three elderly people with chronic illnesses participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews in this study. The interview transcripts were subject to three levels of coding (open, axial, and selective coding) based on grounded theory to determine the factors influencing proxy OHI seeking among the elderly and to understand how the main categories are interconnected. We used the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) process to analyze the hierarchy and associated pathways among the factors influencing proxy OHI seeking. From our analysis, we identified four main categories affecting proxy HI seeking: the health status, emotional needs, electronic HI literacy, and self-efficacy of the elderly. There were six subcategories that could be further subclassified into direct factors, key factors, and root factors, which constituted the hierarchical model of influencing factors. We found that proxy HI seeking among the elderly was directly triggered by self-efficacy and emotional needs following changes in their evaluation of health information and emotional needs, which originates from their perceptions of their health, concerns about their health, and information retrieval capability.

A global dataset of publicly available dengue case count data

OpenDengue is a global database of dengue case data collated from public sources and standardised and formatted to facilitate easy reanalysis. Dataset version 1.2 of this database contains information on over 56 million dengue cases from 102 countries between 1924 and 2023, making it the largest and most comprehensive dengue case database currently available. Over 95% of records are at the weekly or monthly temporal resolution and subnational data is available for 40 countries. To build OpenDengue we systematically searched databases, ministry of health websites, peer reviewed literature and Pro-MED mail reports and extracted denominator-based case count data. We undertake standardisation and error checking protocols to ensure consistency and resolve discrepancies. We meticulously documented the extraction process to ensure records are attributable and reproducible. The OpenDengue database remains under development with plans for further disaggregation and user contributions are encouraged. This new dataset can be used to better understand the long-term drivers of dengue transmission, improve estimates of disease burden, targeting and evaluation of interventions and improving future projections.

Generational differences in health information behaviors during the COVID-19 crisis: A Hong Kong study

The literature has explored age differences in health information seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a noticeable gap in research regarding generational variations in the underlying factors of health information scanning and sharing, as well as generational differences in the interplay of health information seeking, scanning, and sharing. This study examined: (1) differences in risk- and channel-related motivators of online health information seeking, online health information scanning, and COVID-19 information sharing among three generational cohorts: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials; and (2) generational differences in the relationship between information seeking, scanning, and sharing. The focus on generational differences took into consideration both biological and social differences in age cohorts when comparing their information behaviors. The data came from an online survey of 1,004 Hong Kong residents. Results showed generational similarities in individuals’ more frequent information scanning than seeking and the positive relationship between information seeking and sharing. Generational differences emerged in several aspects, including the frequency of information seeking and scanning; the relationship between health status and information seeking; associations of income, health status, channel characteristics, and channel utility with information scanning; and associations of information seeking and scanning with information sharing. These findings offer insights into how risk- and channel-related factors may differ among generations or transcend generational differences in shaping individuals’ information behaviors in the historical and cultural context of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Results of our study inform communication strategies for different generational groups in future public health crises.

KGSCS—a smart care system for elderly with geriatric chronic diseases: a knowledge graph approach

BackgroundThe increasing aging population has led to a shortage of geriatric chronic disease caregiver, resulting in inadequate care for elderly people. In this global context, many older people rely on nonprofessional family care. The credibility of existing health websites cannot meet the needs of care. Specialized health knowledge bases such as SNOMED—CT and UMLS are also difficult for nonprofessionals to use. Furthermore, professional caregiver in elderly care institutions also face difficulty caring for multiple elderly people at the same time and working handovers. As a solution, we propose a smart care system for the elderly based on a knowledge graph.MethodFirst, we worked with professional caregivers to design a structured questionnaire to collect more than 100 pieces of care-related information for the elderly. Then, in the proposed system, personal information, smart device data, medical knowledge, and nursing knowledge are collected and organized into a dynamic knowledge graph. The system offers report generation, question answering, risk identification and data updating services. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system, we use the expert evaluation method to score the user experience.ResultsThe results of the study showed that compared to existing tools (health websites, archives and expert team consultation), the system achieved a score of 8 or more for basic information, health support and Dietary information. Some secondary evaluation indicators reached 9 and 10 points. This finding suggested that the system is superior to existing tools. We also present a case study to help the reader understand the role of the system.ConclusionThe smart care system provide personalized care guidelines for nonprofessional caregivers. It also makes the job easier for institutional caregivers. In addition, the system provides great convenience for work handover.

Online Health Information Seeking and Preventative Health Actions: Cross-Generational Online Survey Study.

The popularity of online health information seeking (OHIS) has increased significantly owing to its accessibility and affordability. To facilitate better health management, it is essential to comprehend the generational differences in OHIS behavior and preventative health actions after seeking online health information (OHI). This study investigates the variations in OHIS and engagement in preventative health actions between 2 generations based on their technology use (digital natives [aged 18-42 years] and digital immigrants [aged ≥43 years]). Additionally, this research explores the mediating role of OHIS types on the generational effect on preventative health actions and the moderating role of OHI search frequency, gender, and the presence of chronic diseases on the generational effect on OHIS types and preventative health actions. A preregistered online survey was conducted on the Prolific online data collection platform using stratified sampling of 2 generations (digital natives and digital immigrants) from the United States in November 2023. Overall, 3 types of OHIS were collected: health wellness information search, health guidance information search, and health management information search. A 1-way analysis of covariance tested the generational differences in types of OHIS and preventative health actions, and a 2-way analysis of covariance tested the moderating role of OHIS search frequency, gender, and the presence of chronic diseases using 7 control variables. The PROCESS Macro Model 4 was used to conduct mediation analyses, testing OHI search types as mediators. Linear regression analyses tested age as a predictor of OHIS and preventative health actions. The analysis of 1137 responses revealed generational differences in OHIS. Digital natives searched for health wellness information more frequently (P<.001), whereas digital immigrants searched for health guidance (P<.001) and health management information (P=.001) more frequently. There were no significant differences between the 2 generations regarding preventative health actions (P=.85). Moreover, all 3 types of OHIS mediated the relationship between generational differences and preventative health actions. Furthermore, as people aged, they searched for significantly less health wellness information (P<.001) and more health guidance (P<.001), and health management information (P=.003). Age was not a significant predictor of preventative health actions (P=.48). The frequency of OHI searches did not moderate the effect of generations on OHIS types and preventative health actions. Gender only moderated the relationship between generation and health guidance information search (P=.02), and chronic diseases only moderated the relationship between generation and health wellness information search (P=.03). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to explore how 2 digital generations vary in terms of searching for OHI and preventative health behaviors. As the older adult population grows, it is crucial to understand their OHIS behavior and how they engage in preventative health actions to enhance their quality of life.

Analysis of Health Data for the Elderly based on Medical Website Mining

The development of Internet medicine provides a convenient platform for doctor-patient communication, and provides an important data source for paying attention to the health of the elderly. In this study, a large number of consultation records obtained from the medical website was screened and cleaned, and the medical thesaurus was generated by training of its own data to solve the problem of inaccurate professional terminology segmentation caused by using default jieba segmentation. At the same time, we use the trained medical thesaurus to conduct topic mining of the consultation data, and it is found that the most concerned problems in the field of elderly health are cerebro-cardiovascular, pulmonary and stomach diseases, so as to provide further medical advice and targeted services.

Generation Z's Health Information Avoidance Behavior: Insights From Focus Group Discussions.

Younger generations actively use social media to access health information. However, research shows that they also avoid obtaining health information online at times when confronted with uncertainty. This study aims to examine the phenomenon of health information avoidance among Generation Z, a representative cohort of active web users in this era. Drawing on the planned risk information avoidance model, we adopted a qualitative approach to explore the factors related to information avoidance within the context of health and risk communication. The researchers recruited 38 participants aged 16 to 25 years for the focus group discussion sessions. In this study, we sought to perform a deductive qualitative analysis of the focus group interview content with open, focused, and theoretical coding. Our findings support several key components of the planned risk information avoidance model while highlighting the underlying influence of cognition on emotions. Specifically, socioculturally, group identity and social norms among peers lead some to avoid health information. Cognitively, mixed levels of risk perception, conflicting values, information overload, and low credibility of information sources elicited their information avoidance behaviors. Affectively, negative emotions such as anxiety, frustration, and the desire to stay positive contributed to avoidance. This study has implications for understanding young users' information avoidance behaviors in both academia and practice.

Online health information seeking behavior, healthcare access, and health status during exceptional times

Online health information seeking behavior (e-HISB) is becoming increasingly common and the trend has accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when individuals strongly relied upon the Internet to stay informed by becoming exposed to a wider array of health information. Despite e-HISB having become a global trend, very few empirical investigations have analyzed its potential influence on healthcare access and individuals’ health status. In this paper, we try to fill this gap. We use data from the second SHARE Corona Survey, supplemented with data from the previous 8th wave of SHARE, and estimate a recursive model of e-HISB, healthcare access, and individuals’ health status that accounts for individuals’ unobserved heterogeneity. Our findings suggest that e-HISB can empower individuals to better understand health concerns, facilitating improved health condition management. However, e-HISB can also trigger a chain reaction, as navigating vast amonts of online health information can heighten fear and anxiety. This increased anxiety may lead to higher utilization of medical services, adversely affecting individuals' perceptions of their health.

Health Information Quality of Online Newspaper Articles in Korea.

The Web is an important source of health information, but the quality of such online information is highly variable. This study evaluates the quality of health articles published on Naver News, Korea's most popular portal, using the Health Information Quality Assessment Tool (HIQUAL). We collected 712 health-related articles published on Naver News from May 1 to 7, 2023. After applying exclusion criteria, we selected 116 articles for analysis. Two clinicians independently assessed the quality of these articles using the HIQUAL, which scores articles based on five domains: "reliability," "usefulness," "understandability," "sufficiency," and "transparency." Overall article quality was generally considered recommendable (mean±standard deviation: 7.52±2.00). "Usefulness," one item of "reliability," and "understandability" were the three items with the highest levels of satisfaction. "Sufficiency" criteria for costs, risks, and benefits received low scores. Quality scores for articles focused on health risk factors and intervention showed a statistically significant difference. While the overall quality of health information in Korean online newspaper articles is acceptable, room for improvement remains in some areas, particularly with regard to the fair presentation of costs, risks, and benefits. The study highlights the need for ongoing quality improvement and evaluation initiatives for online health information.

Toward an Integrated Model of Healthy Food Purchase via the Impact of Online Nutrition Information Seeking

Healthy eating is critical to consumers’ overall health. The purpose of this study was to examine body mass index (BMI), obesity knowledge, and self-efficacy, along with online nutrition information seeking (ONIS), as antecedents to healthy food purchase (HFP) in a moderated mediation model. An online survey was conducted using Amazon Mechanical Turk to recruit 897 participants, with 484 women and 380 men. A moderated mediation analysis was then used to explore the mediating effect of ONIS, and the moderating effects of obesity knowledge and self-efficacy. Results found the impact of ONIS on HFP was significantly generated by obesity knowledge but not by BMI. Both ONIS and self-efficacy yielded individual and interactive effects on HFP, and ONIS did not only generate a direct effect on HFP but also interacted with self-efficacy for HFP. Practically, it was suggested that online health information should be strategically crafted to promote healthy eating behavior, given that consumers in various health conditions were activated to purchase heathier foods via ONIS. Through the ONIS’s mediation of the relationship between obesity knowledge and HFP, consumers with poor obesity knowledge would be cultivated well to further develop their better eating habits.

Editor's Spotlight/Take 5: How Does ChatGPT Use Source Information Compared With Google? A Text Network Analysis of Online Health Information.

Editor's Spotlight/Take 5: How Does ChatGPT Use Source Information Compared With Google? A Text Network Analysis of Online Health Information.

Preferred format and strategies for seeking and trusting online health information: a survey of cardiology outpatient attendees across three New Zealand hospitals.

Introduction The volume and quality of online health information requires consumers to be discerning. Aim This study aimed to explore consumer Internet use for health information, preferred format and what factors helped them to trust the source. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016-2017 with adults attending three cardiology outpatient clinic sites using a short paper-based survey. The survey included questions regarding online health information use and perceived trustworthiness with opportunities for free text responses. Survey data were summarised with key questions adjusted by age group, gender and ethnicity using logistic regression. Results Of the 708 respondents (51% women, 66% aged 45-74 years, 16% Māori, 12% Pacific), 73% had sought health information online (64% in the previous 12 months), commonly for medication side effects, their health condition and self-help. Most (65%) were successful, although Pacific respondents reported a lower likelihood of search success compared to Europeans. Younger age groups were more concerned about information quality. Fact sheets (80%) were the most popular format and for all ethnic groups, followed by short videos (31%) and discussion groups (23%). Trusting online information required many strategies with 72% wanting health professionals to recommend websites. Discussion Online health information seeking is a norm for consumers, with simple fact sheets being the preferred format to build knowledge and skills. With the rising tide of misinformation, health portal providers need to offer accurate and easy-to-read fact sheets in their suite of formats and health professionals need to support consumers guiding them to trusted websites.

Comparison of the out-of-pocket costs of Medicare-funded telepsychiatry and face-to-face consultations: A descriptive study.

Telepsychiatry items in the Australian Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) were expanded following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their out-of-pocket costs have not been examined. We describe and compare patient out-of-pocket payments for face-to-face and telepsychiatry (videoconferencing and telephone) MBS items for outpatient psychiatric services to understand the differential out-of-pocket cost burden for patients across these modalities. out-of-pocket cost information was obtained from the Medical Costs Finder website, which extracted data from Services Australia's Medicare claims data in 2021-2022. Cost information for corresponding face-to-face, video, and telephone MBS items for outpatient psychiatric services was compared, including (1) Median specialist fees; (2) Median out-of-pocket payments; (3) Medicare reimbursement amounts; and (4) Proportions of patients subject to out-of-pocket fees. Medicare reimbursements are identical for all comparable face-to-face and telepsychiatry items. Specialist fees for comparable items varied across face-to-face to telehealth options, with resulting differences in out-of-pocket costs. For video items, higher proportions of patients were not bulk-billed, with greater out-of-pocket costs than face-to-face items. However, the opposite was true for telephone items compared with face-to-face items. Initial cost analyses of MBS telepsychiatry items indicate that telephone consultations incur the lowest out-of-pocket costs, followed by face-to-face and video consultations.

Phototherapy for vitiligo: Quality and readability of online health information.

Vitiligo is a depigmenting disorder that affects up to 2% of the population. Due to the relatively high prevalence of this disease and its psychological impact on patients, decisions concerning treatment can be difficult. As patients increasingly seek health information online, the caliber of online health information (OHI) becomes crucial in patients' decisions regarding their care. We aimed to assess the quality and readability of OHI regarding phototherapy in the management of vitiligo. Similar to previously published studies assessing OHI, we used 5 medical search terms as a proxy for online searches made by patients. Results for each search term were assessed using an enhanced DISCERN analysis, Health On the Net code of conduct (HONcode) accreditation guidelines, and several readability indices. The DISCERN analysis is a validated questionnaire used to assess the quality of OHI, while HONcode accreditation is a marker of site reliability. Of the 500 websites evaluated, 174 were HONcode-accredited (35%). Mean DISCERN scores for all websites were 58.9% and 51.7% for website reliability and treatment sections, respectively. Additionally, 0/130 websites analyzed for readability scored at the NIH-recommended sixth-grade reading level. These analyses shed light on the shortcomings of OHI regarding phototherapy treatment for vitiligo, which could exacerbate disparities for patients who are already at higher risk of worse health outcomes.

Evaluation of YouTube Information Quality About Pes Planus.

The aim of this study was to measure the quality of information about "flatfoot" and "pes planus" presented online on the social media site YouTube and to determine the trends of viewers to medical information on YouTube. "Flatfoot and pes planus" was typed into the YouTube search module. From the search results, videos with 50,000 views or more, longer than 45 seconds, and containing information about flatfoot and pes planus disease were selected. DISCERN and JAMA scoring, daily average views, number of likes, and number of comments were collected from 53 videos that met the criteria. The profession of the sharer was evaluated in terms of the information quality of the sharing and the orientation of the audience. The mean number of views per day of the examined videos was 2,047. The mean video presentation time was 8 minutes 50 seconds. The mean JAMA score was 2 of 4 and the mean DISCERN score was 38.16 of 75. According to the DISCERN score according to the professions, the video quality was moderate for doctors (41.44 ± 12.99), moderate for physiotherapists (41.91 ± 9.04), poor for coaches (32.78 ± 7.87), poor for patients (34.50 ± 5.32), and weak for others (34.89 ± 14.00). According to the Spearman correlation between DISCERN score and mean daily viewing, significant relationships were found for the doctors (P = .0102) and others groups (P = .0033); however, no significant relationships were observed for the physiotherapists group (P = .1073), the flatfoot patients group (P = .5363), and the coaches group (P = .9111). There were significant relationships between like and comment counts in all groups (doctors, P = .0088; coaches, P = .0069; physiotherapists, P = .0007; others, P =.0018; and patients, P = .0066). Looking at previous studies, it was observed that the quality of online health information was historically inadequate. Likewise, in our study on YouTube, we found that the quality of flatfoot and pes planus information was poor to moderate.

How Does ChatGPT Use Source Information Compared With Google? A Text Network Analysis of Online Health Information.

How Does ChatGPT Use Source Information Compared With Google? A Text Network Analysis of Online Health Information.

An Assessment of the Arabic-Language Informational Resources Available to Colon Cancer Patients Online

Background: The internet has become a primary source of health information, particularly for cancer patients. This study evaluated the quality of online health information related to colon cancer in Arabic. Objective: To assess the reliability, accountability, legitimacy, and readability of Arabic websites providing information on colon cancer. Methods: A search was conducted on major search engines using Arabic keywords related to colon cancer. After initial screening, 13 websites were selected for evaluation. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, DISCERN instrument and website certification (Health on the Net - HON code) were used for assessment. Readability was analyzed using the Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Results: Non-government websites, particularly Wikipedia, msdmanuals.com, and primomedico.com, demonstrated higher compliance with JAMA benchmarks. Six websites scored high on the DISCERN instrument, indicating reliable treatment information. Only one website was HON-code certified. Readability analysis revealed that text comprehension is challenging for most websites. Conclusion: Private agencies and hospitals managed non-government websites generally outperformed government websites' reliability, quality, and readability. However, overall improvement in Arabic's online health information landscape is essential to enhance accessibility and credibility for colon cancer patients

Association between Health Anxiety, Smartphone Addiction, and Cyberchondria

Introduction: Online health information seeking is one of the single most popular platforms in which people gather health-related information. Many sources provide ambiguous and unauthorized health information, which is part of the digital era. Cyberchondria refers to prolonged and repetitive online health searches and negative emotional and physiological responses that occur due to online searches. Health anxiety due to COVID-19 also contributed to online health information seeking. This current study assesses the association between health anxiety and smartphone use with cyberchondria among young adults. Methods: The study sample consisted of 356 individuals aged 18–25 years. We used an online survey for study participants with the Cyberchondria severity scale-12 (CSS-12), Health Anxiety Questionnaire, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. Results: The mean age of participants was 22 years (standard deviation: 2.13). Sixty-two percent of participants used the information obtained by the online platform to diagnose themselves. Excessiveness was more among all other subscales of cyberchondria. The results of linear regression analysis indicated that health anxiety (P &lt; 0.001) and smartphone addiction (P &lt; 0.001) significantly contributed to cyberchondria. Conclusion: This study shows the association between health anxiety and smartphone addiction with cyberchondria. This finding implies the need for a community-level conscientization on cyberchondria. There is a need to carry out promotional and preventive programs regarding the health usage of technology.

What are our patients asking Google about acromioclavicular joint injuries?—frequently asked online questions and the quality of online resources

Management of acromioclavicular (AC) joint injuries has been an ongoing source of debate, with over 150 variations of surgery described in the literature. Without a consensus on surgical technique, patients are seeking answers to common questions through internet resources. This study investigates the most common online patient questions pertaining to AC joint injuries and the quality of the websites providing information. 1) Question topics will pertain to surgical indications, pain management, and success of surgery and 2) the quality and transparency of online information are largely heterogenous. Three AC joint search queries were entered into the Google Web Search. Questions under the "People also ask" tab were expanded in order and 100 results for each query were included (300 total). Questions were categorized based on Rothwell's classification. Websites were categorized by source. Website quality was evaluated by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria. Most questions fell into the Rothwell Fact category (48.0%). The most common question topics were surgical indications (28.0%), timeline of recovery (13.0%), and diagnosis/evaluation (12.0%). The least common question topics were anatomy/function (3.3%), evaluation of surgery (3.3%), injury comparison (1.0%), and cost (1.0%). The most common websites were medical practice (44.0%), academic (22.3%), and single surgeon personal (12.3%). The average JAMA score for all websites was 1.0 ± 1.3. Government websites had the highest JAMA score (4.0 ± 0.0) and constituted 45.8% of all websites with a score of 4/4. PubMed articles constituted 63.6% (7/11) of government website. Comparatively, medical practice websites had the lowest JAMA score (0.3 ± 0.7, range [0-3]). Online patient AC joint injury questions pertain to surgical indications, timeline of recovery, and diagnosis/evaluation. Government websites and PubMed articles provide the highest-quality sources of reliable, up-to-date information but constitute the smallest proportion of resources. In contrast, medical practice represents the most visited websites, however, recorded the lowest quality score. Physicians should utilize this information to answer frequently asked questions, guide patient expectations, and help provide and identify reliable online resources.