Provide Online Information Research Articles

33 Use of CHU Ste. Justine online resources prior to visiting the Emergency Department for less-urgent, acute febrile illness

Abstract Background Over the past 20 years, visits to paediatric emergency departments (EDs) across Canada have steadily increased, with a higher proportion of presentations for lower acuity symptoms. Many paediatric institutions’ websites now provide information and recommendations for caregivers on common illnesses and reasons for seeing healthcare providers or going to the ED. Increasing the use of internet resources may improve health literacy and hopefully decrease ED use for lower acuity presentations like uncomplicated viral illness. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess whether caregivers presenting with children with lower acuity at triage were aware of and using the online resources provided by our paediatric institution to help with at-home management of febrile illnesses and to guide their decision to present to the ED. Design/Methods This was a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care university-affiliated paediatric ED in an urban setting. Participants were a convenience sample of caregivers of children 6 months to 17 years old with a fever 72 hours or less and triaged low acuity (Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale levels 3 to 5). Caregivers of children with underlying significant systemic illness were excluded. Consenting participants completed two questionnaires. The first questionnaire included demographic data, information on baseline internet utilisation, use of general online health information and our institutions’ website specifically, and whether use of those resources influenced their decision to present to the ED. After browsing dedicated web materials developed by our institution (“Before going to the emergency room” and “Fever”), questionnaire 2 asked for feedback on the website. Results From April to July 2023, 100 caregivers participated in the study (response rates questionnaires 1 and 2: 80% and 70%, respectively) (Table 1). Half (49%) of caregivers researched their child’s symptoms prior to coming to the ED (Table 2). Approximately one third (39%) of respondents were aware that our institution provided online information for caregivers about common symptoms and when to present to the ED. Half (51%) of caregivers who completed questionnaire 2 said they would not have come to the ED if they had read these resources prior (Table 3). Many (66%) respondents reported they would be “likely/very likely” to look up their child’s symptoms on the institutional website before going to the ED in the future. Conclusion Half of caregivers presenting to the ED for their child’s lower-acuity febrile illness conducted research on their child’s symptoms prior to visiting the ED and most were influenced in their decision to come to ED by what they found. Most caregivers were not aware that our institution had online resources available. Promotion of the institutional resources available to parents may empower parents to manage common symptoms at home and prevent ED visits for lower-acuity illness.

Digital Health Literacy Predictors and COVID-19 Online Information-Seeking Behaviors Among University Students from Romania

In addition to the infectious disease, the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an infodemic that worsened the outbreak. Increased digital health literacy (DHL) skills and information-seeking behaviors are crucial for accessing, understanding, and evaluating online health information, especially during a pandemic, where misinformation imposes immediate health consequences. This study explores the predictors of DHL among Romanian students and their information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected through a cross-sectional study design over 3 months (December 2020–February 2021) and a self-reported web-based questionnaire from 1,381 university students from Romania assessing DHL and information-seeking behaviors. We used descriptive statistics, Cronbach Alpha coefficients, and univariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions to explore DHL’s predictors in the Romanian sample. Results showed that overall, the study sample had high levels of DHL. However, almost half of the respondents reported having problems assessing whether the information searched related to coronavirus is reliable or not, and 95% shared someone else’s private information online. Age, subjective social status, gender, and chronic diseases were identified as predictors for DHL. Students’ DHL skills need to be strengthened using tailored educational programs and interventions emphasizing the quality, accuracy, and timely provision of online information on official public health platforms. Additional actions include fostering collaborations between educational institutions and public health authorities, alongside developing smartphone applications for real-time guidance on health topics. It is of the utmost importance to address the spread of the infodemic through different strategies, to combat misinformation among university students.

Drivers of the use of digital platforms by Portuguese parishes – how small government entities struggle with the demand for transparency

PurposeThe provision of online information through the use of digital platforms (websites and social networks) can be helpful for public sector organisations to promote transparency and accountability, thereby bringing it closer to citizens, more accessible and with higher added value for society. Whereas the call for government transparency is manifest and seems to be equal for all parts of government, this paper investigates whether small government entities are able to cope with this demand. In addition, the drivers of digital platforms are investigated in the context of Portuguese parishes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper follows a quantitative research approach based on an original data set with more than 3,000 observations collected in two different time periods (2015 and 2020), which looks at the parishes’ use of website and Facebook.FindingsFindings show that about half of Portuguese parishes, which are mostly small entities with on average fewer than 3,500 inhabitants, have an institutional website, whereas almost three out of four have Facebook. The empirical analyses reveal that a lack of organisational capacity of small entities can be an obstacle for the use of an institutional website and of Facebook. Furthermore, factors from the provider side (e.g. being part of a merger, participation in previous elections) and the user side (e.g. having access to broadband internet) are also found to have an influence on the adoption, use, and dropping of a digital platform.Originality/valueThe use of an original data set with more than 3,000 observations, and the research of the influence of size as a proxy of organisational capacity on the presence of parishes on the internet and Facebook, are innovative elements of this paper. In addition, this study adds to the knowledge about the influence of organisational, political, and socio-demographic characteristics on the use of digital platforms by small government entities.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-04-2023-0171

Investigating the impact of online information provision on the market price of blind box

Investigating the impact of online information provision on the market price of blind box

“Fundamentalist, pragmatic, or unconcerned?”: an analysis of consumers’ willingness to disclose information online

Purpose This study aims to propose an innovative model that integrates variables and examines the influence of internet usage expertise, perceived risk and attitude toward information control on privacy concerns (PC) and, consequently, in consumers’ willingness to disclose personal information online. The authors also propose to test the mediation role of trust between PCs and willingness to disclose information. Trust is not a predictor of PC but a causal mechanism – considering that the focus is to understand consumers’ attitudes and behavior regarding the virtual environment (not context-specific) (Martin, 2018). Design/methodology/approach The authors developed a survey questionnaire based on the constructs that compose the proposed model to collect data from 864 respondents. The survey questionnaire included the following scales: internet usage expertise from Ohanian (1990); perceived risk, attitude toward information control, trust and willingness to disclose personal information online from Malhotra et al. (2004); and PC from Castañeda and Montoro (2007). All items were measured on a Likert seven-point scale (1 = totally disagree; 7 = totally agree). To obtain Westin’s attitudinal categories toward privacy, respondents answered Westin’s three-item privacy index. For data analysis, the authors applied covariance-based structural equation modeling. Findings First, the proposed model explains the drivers of consumers’ disposition to provide personal information at a level that surpasses specific contexts (Martin, 2018), bringing the analysis to consumers’ level and considering their general perceptions toward data privacy. Second, the findings provide inputs to propose a better definition of Westin’s attitudinal categories toward privacy, which used to be defined only by individuals’ information privacy perception. Consumers’ perceptions about their abilities in using the internet, the risks, their beliefs toward information control and trust also help to delimitate and distinguish the fundamentalists, the pragmatics and the unconcerned. Research limitations/implications Some limitations weigh the theoretical and practical implications of this study. The sample size of pragmatic and unconcerned respondents was substantially smaller than that of fundamentalists. It might be explained by applying Westin’s self-report index to classify the groups according to their score regarding PCs. Most individuals affirm having a great concern for their data privacy but still provide online information for the benefit of personalization – known as the privacy paradox (Zeng et al., 2021). It leads to another limitation of this research, given the lack of measures that classify respondents by considering their actual behavior toward privacy. Practical implications PC emerges as an important predictor of consumer trust and willingness to disclose their data online, and trust also influences this disposition. Managers need to implement actions that effectively reduce consumers’ concerns about privacy and increase their trust in the company – e.g. adopting a clear and transparent policy on how the data collected is stored, treated, protected and used to benefit the consumer. Regarding the perception of risk, if managers convince consumers that the data collected on the internet is protected, they tend to be less concerned about privacy. Social implications The results suggest different aspects influencing the willingness to disclose personal information online, including different responses considering consumers’ PCs. Through their policies and legislation, the authors understand that governments must be attentive to this aspect, establishing regulations that protect consumers’ data in the virtual environment. In addition to regulatory policies, education campaigns can be carried out for both consumers and managers to raise the discussion about privacy and the availability of information in the online environment, demonstrating the importance of protecting personal data to benefit the government, consumers and organizations. Originality/value Although there is increasing research on consumers’ privacy, studies have not considered their attitudinal classifications – high, moderate and low concern – as moderators of willingness to disclose information online. Researchers have also increased attention to the antecedents of PCs and disclosure of information but overlooked possible mechanisms that explain the relationship between them.

The quality and reliability of Turkish websites in Google containing information about amputation rehabilitation in the shadow of the earthquake disaster

Aim: Health-related online information has become an important part of patient education. In this context, we aimed to examine the information content, readability, reliability, and quality levels of websites that provide online information about amputee rehabilitation.
 
 Methods: On April 1–7, 2023, all websites scanned by typing “amputee rehabilitation” into the Google search engine were examined. The websites are divided into two groups (group 1= hospitals, universities, health-related associations, and other official institutions; group 2= health professionals, news websites, and others) according to the creator of the websites. The information content was determined according to nine sub-topics in line with the online education programs of the Disaster Rehabilitation Working Group of the Turkish Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Association and the relevant literature. According to the readability formula of Ateşman and Bezirci-Yilmaz, reliability and quality assessments were made with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) score, the DISCERN scale, the Global Quality Score (GQS), and the Physician’s Global Quality Score (PGQS).
 
 Results: 109 websites were scanned, and 20 websites were included in the study, 12 (60%) in group 1 and 8 (40%) in group 2. The median of information content was 2,3 (0–7), and none of the websites had full information content. The median of the Ateşman value is 41,1 (29,5–53,0), which is difficult to read; the Bezirci-Yilmaz value was readable at the undergraduate level with a median of 15,5 (9,4–21,6). The JAMA score was 0,8 (0-3) and almost all (95%) of the websites were found to be low reliable (JAMA score ≤ 2). The DISCERN score was of very poor quality, with a median of 23,55 (16–34). GQS was 1,95 (1-3), and PGQS was 1.7 (1-3) with low quality. There was no difference between the groups or between the first two pages and the remaining pages.
 
 Conclusion: Turkish websites providing information about amputee rehabilitation are very inadequate in terms of content, difficult to read, poor quality, and unreliable. Within the framework of these data, reliable and comprehensible online information on this subject should be provided with the necessary support of health-related public or private institutions and experienced health professionals. To be prepared for future natural disasters, health policies aiming to provide quality information online to inform the public should be developed.

Public Usage of E-Government in EU Countries: Are There Any Consequences for Tax Evasion?

Due to the processes of digitalization and automation, the e-Government has become an essential tool of public administration. The paper deals with the problem of e-Government usage by the public and its potential connection to tax evasion. The analysis is based on available secondary panel and cross-sectional data on the level of EU countries in the period 2008 to 2021. We compare the situation in the countries and classify them into homogenous clusters based on the overall public usage of e-Government. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis have been used as tools for dimension reduction and clustering. Moreover, we also found evidence of a potential relationship between the usage of e-Government and tax evasion. The provision of online information and services by the government to its citizens as well as online communication with public authorities are related to the lower level of tax evasion in the country. Hence, public authorities should support e-Government usage and e-filing systems to fight against tax evasion.

Bursts of contemporaneous publication among high- and low-credibility online information providers

In studies of misinformation, the distinction between high- and low-credibility publishers is fundamental. However, there is much that we do not know about the relationship between the subject matter and timing of content produced by the two types of publishers. By analyzing the content of several million unique articles published over 28 months, we show that high- and low-credibility publishers operate in distinct news ecosystems. Bursts of news coverage generated by the two types of publishers tend to cover different subject matter at different times, even though fluctuations in their overall news production tend to be highly correlated. Regardless of the mechanism, temporally convergent coverage among low-credibility publishers has troubling implications for American news consumers.

Advancing the marketing‐operations interface in omnichannel retail

Advancing the marketing‐operations interface in omnichannel retail

Staying at home in the COVID-19 period: Effects on well-being and physical activity in women living with overweight or obesity

Background: Between March and May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led governments to take specific lockdown measures. Investigations have defined obesity as a risk factor for disease severity, but none has addressed the effects of lockdown on psychological well-being and physical activity in this population. The objective of the study was to analyze the evolution (before vs. during lockdown) of well-being and physical activity among French adult women living with overweight or obesity. Methods: 250 women, divided into 5 Body Mass Index (BMI) categories (healthy weight, overweight, obesity I, II or III), provided online information concerning their self-perceived psychological well-being and level of physical activity before and after one month (± 1 week) of lockdown. Results: This study shows that BMI is a factor that is associated with well-being and physical activity. Compared to women with a healthy weight who significantly increased their level of physical activity, those living with overweight or obesity perceived a significant decrease in psychological well-being, positive affect, and physical exercise. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of taking into account the well-being and active behavior of women living with overweight or obesity during any lockdown period that could occur in future pandemics.

Monitoring the Performance of the Drive Mechanisms During CNC Milling

The article deals with a monitoring system designed for the needs of a specific production plant. Its primary purpose is to provide online information about ongoing production processes at monitored workplaces. The system will make it possible to monitor the usability of the machines and the load on individual machine elements to increase production efficiency and prevent machine breakdowns. Furthermore, it will allow to monitor the load on the tool and predict its wear in order to prevent irreversible damage and the production of scrap. To test the applicability of the system on a milling machine, a sample was designed, the elements of which were produced in two ways - HPC and trochoidal milling. With these methods of milling, different manifestations of the tool load were assumed. The experiments proved the functionality of the system. The method of transmission, recording and storage of data has proven to be fully functional. The additional results were knowledge of machine load during both milling methods.

Refractive Index to Monitor Solid-Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis

Automated solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis (SPOS) is a highly developed and efficient process, which has been used in academia and industry since decades. Still, some chemical transformations as well as all washing steps are run in a black box modus as only a few process analytical technology tools are available, namely, UV–vis spectroscopy and conductivity. To ensure high yields and efficiencies in each of the numerous steps, the process is usually performed using an excess of building blocks, reagents, and solvents. The reaction conditions are defined according to standard procedures and not necessarily to the real or optimal need of the reaction. As a result, SPOS suffers from generating large amounts of toxic waste, and its reduction is a must from the perspective of sustainability. One approach to make the process more sustainable is to add more complementary monitoring tools that provide online information about the progress of the process. Herein, we disclose our promising preliminary results in the use of refractive index to monitor SPOS.

Why do (some) ordinary Americans support tax cuts for the rich? Evidence from a randomised survey experiment

Why do (some) ordinary citizens support tax cuts for the rich? We test four prominent explanations – unenlightened self-interest, fairness considerations, prospect of upward mobility, and trickle-down beliefs – using a randomised, online information provision experiment, embedded in a representative survey of around 3000 US Americans. The results show that preferences for taxing the rich are fundamentally affected by information that shifts citizens’ core fairness beliefs, as well as information on the past trajectory of top tax rates. In contrast, we find no evidence in support of the unenlightened self-interest or prospect of upward mobility explanations. Overall, our results align with theories of tax policy preferences that emphasise the importance of fairness perceptions and reference points.

Reaching Ambulatory Older Adults with Educational Tools: Comparative Efficacy and Cost of Varied Outreach Modalities in Primary Care.

BackgroundProviding patients with access to health information that can be obtained outside of an office visit is an important part of education, yet little is known about the effectiveness of outreach modalities to connect older adults to online educational tools. The objective was to identify the effectiveness and cost of outreach modalities providing online information about advance care planning (ACP) for older adults.MethodsSix different outreach modalities were utilized to connect patients to online educational tools (ACP video decision aids). Participants were 13,582 patients aged 65 and older of 185 primary care providers with appointments over a 30-month period within a large health system in the greater New York City area. Main outcome measures were number of online video views and costs per outreach for each modality.Key ResultsThere were 1150 video views for 21,407 remote outreach events. Text messages, sent to the largest volume of patients (8869), had the highest outcome rate (9.6%) and were the most economical ($0.09). Characterization of phone calls demonstrated 21.7% engagement in the topic of ACP but resulted in minimal video views (<1%) and incurred the highest cost per outreach ($2.88). In-office handouts had negligible results (<1%).ConclusionsText was the most cost-effective modality to connect older adults to an online educational tool in this pragmatic trial, though overall efficacy of all modalities was low.

Readability assessment of patient educational materials for pediatric spinal deformity from top academic orthopedic institutions

Study designCross-sectional analysis of patient educational materials from top pediatric orthopedic hospital websites.ObjectiveTo assess the readability of online educational materials of top pediatric orthopedic hospital websites for pediatric spinal deformity.Summary of background dataThe internet has become an increasingly popular source of health information for patients and their families. Healthcare experts recommend that the readability of online education materials be at or below a 6th-grade reading level. However, previous studies have demonstrated that the readability of online education materials on various orthopedic topics is too advanced for the average patient. To date, the readability of online education materials for pediatric spinal deformity has not been analyzed.MethodsOnline patient education materials from the top 25 pediatric orthopedic institutions, as ranked by the U.S. News and World Report hospitals for pediatric orthopedics, were accessed utilizing the following readability assessments: Flesch–Kincaid (FK), Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog Index, Coleman–Liau Index, Simple Measure of the Gobbledygook Index (SMOG), Automated Readability Index, FORCAST, and the New Dale and Chall Readability. Correlations between academic institutional ranking, geographic location, and the use of concomitant multi-media modalities with FK scores were evaluated using a Spearman regression.ResultsOnly 48% (12 of 25) of top pediatric orthopedic hospitals provided online information regarding pediatric spinal deformity at or below a 6th-grade reading level. The mean FK score was 9.0 ± 2.7, Flesch Reading Ease 50.8 ± 15.6, Gunning Fog Score 10.6 ± 3.1, Coleman–Liau Index 11.6 ± 2.6, SMOG index 11.7 ± 2.0, Automated Readability Index 8.6 ± 2.8, and Dale–Chall Readability Score 6.4 ± 1.4. There was no significant correlation between institutional ranking, geographic location, or use of multimedia with FK scores.ConclusionOnline educational material for pediatric spinal deformity from top pediatric orthopedic institutional websites are associated with poor readability.

Digital health literacy, online information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of Covid-19 information among the university students of East and South-East Asia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing interest in online information about coronavirus worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the digital health literacy (DHL) level, information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of information on COVID-19 among East and South-East Asia university students. This cross-sectional web-based study was conducted between April to June 2020 by recruiting students from universities in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. University students who have Internet access were invited to participate in the study. Items on sociodemographic variables, DHL, information-seeking behaviour, and information satisfaction were included in the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were conducted. A total of 5302 university students responded to the survey. The overall mean score across the four DHL subscales was 2.89 (SD: 0.42). Search engines (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo) (92.0%) and social media (88.4%) were highly utilized by the students, whereas Websites of doctors or health insurance companies were of lower utilization (64.7%). Across the domains (i.e., adding self-generated content, determining relevance, evaluating reliability, and protecting privacy) higher DHL was positively associated with higher usage of trustworthy resources. Providing online information on COVID-19 at official university websites and conducting health talks or web-based information dissemination about the strategies for mental health challenges during pandemic could be beneficial to the students. Strengthening DHL among university students will enhance their critical thinking and evaluation of online resources, which could direct them to the quality and trustworthy information sources on COVID-19.

The accidental caseworker – How digital self-service influences citizens' administrative burden

Following a large worldwide uptake of digital public services, several countries have turned to mandatory digitization, whereby citizens or companies must use digital self-service applications to apply for public services. However, previous research on the adoption of digital public services has predominantly focused on simple, or even hypothetical, services and situations. We identify a knowledge gap concerning citizens' experience of actual interactions with digital self-service for more complicated social services and benefits. Therefore, we explore digital self-service from the perspective of citizens using the concept of administrative burden as a theoretical lens. Specifically, we analyze data from in-depth empirical studies encompassing observations, interviews, and focus group discussions with single mothers who have applied for public benefits following divorce or family separation. We present a descriptive process model for citizens' application for public benefits. Next, we illustrate how digital self-service influences citizens' administrative burden throughout this process. An important contribution reveals that citizens' administrative burden increases—they must learn how to complete tasks that professional caseworkers previously conducted and comply with government demands concerning digital self-service applications and specific data formats. However, digital self-service can also reduce citizens' administrative burden through the online provision of information and automatic data transfers. Further, digital self-service offers an anonymous application process that may reduce the psychological costs and stigma associated with receiving public benefits. Finally, our research contributes new insights at the theoretical level, linking the concept of administrative burden to complex digital self-service use from a citizen perspective.

Using Online Information Support to Decrease Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

Today, online education is becoming more important. The effectiveness of online education has been measured by student satisfaction and the possibility of substituting offline education. This study proposes a plan to increase the effectiveness of education in a new form by using online information. Education is the process of socializing and growing learners. Representative negative emotions experienced by learners are stress, anxiety, and depression (SAD). A reduction in SAD will promote student growth and improve educational outcomes. This paper considers online information by dividing it into online educational information support (OEDIS) and online emotional information support (OEMIS). We demonstrate that OEDIS reduces SAD, and OEMIS reduces stress and anxiety. By providing online information, negative emotions can be reduced, and educational outcomes can be improved. This study suggests a new role for online information support, such as emotional change in individuals and solving psychological problems. Online information support goes beyond knowledge transfer and can be used in various fields, such as online education that promotes human growth and positive change, and even healthcare.

The Importance of Accessible Information in Promoting the Inclusion of People with an Intellectual Disability

People with an intellectual disability experience high levels of social exclusion and a range of health inequalities. Increased inclusion and participation in healthcare decision making have been identified as key to promoting inclusion in health and social care. However, achieving these objectives requires increased recognition of the communication and health literacy needs of individuals with an intellectual disability and consideration of the appropriateness of the information currently provided. In this article, we report the results of a pre-COVID-19 qualitative study exploring the provision and use of accessible information to support the healthcare inclusion of individuals with an intellectual disability. A total of 35 clinicians participated in focus group discussions, and 10 people with intellectual disabilities and 10 carers were interviewed regarding their experiences of using accessible health-related information. Qualitative data analysis using a framework approach highlighted the crucial role of communication partners when using accessible information, deficits in current National Health Service (NHS: UK’s publicly funded health care system) information provision in the UK, and possible broader relevance of accessible resources. The implications of these findings for the provision of accessible information in a post-COVID-19 environment are explored, and recommendations are made for the increased integration and theory-driven research to inform the provision, content, and use of health-related information, especially the provision of online information, in the future.

Agenda informacijski sustav za plovne putove

Informatisation of the public administration of the Slovak Republic aims to create a functional architecture of the integrated information system. This system also includes the development of Agenda information systems that provide electronic services in the most automated mode, according to the principle all at once. In the field of water transport, there is currently no fully functional agenda information system. Creating an Agenda Information System (AIS) will allow multi-channel electronic access to public transport services in water transport. The complex information solution of the water transport agenda will be digitalized for individual applications and submissions. Part of the Waterway Agenda Information System will also be the establishment of a client zone, an online tool that will provide online information for users and providers. This tool will allow personalized client notifications that simplify the process for all parties involved (public administration, entrepreneurs, or individuals).