Web-based Information Sources Research Articles

#4Corners4Health Social Media Cancer Prevention Campaign for Emerging Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Stepped-Wedge Trial.

Many emerging adults (EAs) are prone to making unhealthy choices, which increase their risk of premature cancer morbidity and mortality. In the era of social media, rigorous research on interventions to promote health behaviors for cancer risk reduction among EAs delivered over social media is limited. Cancer prevention information and recommendations may reach EAs more effectively over social media than in settings such as health care, schools, and workplaces, particularly for EAs residing in rural areas. This pragmatic randomized trial aims to evaluate a multirisk factor intervention using a social media campaign designed with community advisers aimed at decreasing cancer risk factors among EAs. The trial will target EAs from diverse backgrounds living in rural counties in the Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. We will recruit a sample of EAs (n=1000) aged 18 to 26 years residing in rural counties (Rural-Urban Continuum Codes 4 to 9) in the Four Corners states from the Qualtrics' research panel and enroll them in a randomized stepped-wedge, quasi-experimental design. The inclusion criteria include English proficiency and regular social media engagement. A social media intervention will promote guideline-related goals for increased physical activity, healthy eating, and human papillomavirus vaccination and reduced nicotine product use, alcohol intake, and solar UV radiation exposure. Campaign posts will cover digital and media literacy skills, responses to misinformation, communication with family and friends, and referral to community resources. The intervention will be delivered over 12 months in Facebook private groups and will be guided by advisory groups of community stakeholders and EAs and focus groups with EAs. The EAs will complete assessments at baseline and at 12, 26, 39, 52, and 104 weeks after randomization. Assessments will measure 6 cancer risk behaviors, theoretical mediators, and participants' engagement with the social media campaign. The trial is in its start-up phase. It is being led by a steering committee. Team members are working in 3 subcommittees to optimize community engagement, the social media intervention, and the measures to be used. The Stakeholder Organization Advisory Board and Emerging Adult Advisory Board were formed and provided initial input on the priority of cancer risk factors to target, social media use by EAs, and community resources available. A framework for the social media campaign with topics, format, and theoretical mediators has been created, along with protocols for campaign management. Social media can be used as a platform to counter misinformation and improve reliable health information to promote health behaviors that reduce cancer risks among EAs. Because of the popularity of web-based information sources among EAs, an innovative, multirisk factor intervention using a social media campaign has the potential to reduce their cancer risk behaviors. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05618158; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05618158. PRR1-10.2196/50392.

HIPPP: Health Information Portal for Patients and Public

Cancer misinformation is becoming an increasingly complex issue. When a person or a loved one receives a diagnosis of possible cancer, that person, family and friends will try to better inform themselves in this area of healthcare. Like most people, they will turn to their clinician for guidance and the internet to better verse themselves on the topic. But can they trust the information provided online? Are there ways to provide a quick evaluation of such information in order to prevent low-quality information and potentially dangerous consequences of trusting it? In the context of the UL Cancer Research Network (ULCan), this interdisciplinary project aims to develop the Health Information Portal for Patients and Public (HIPPP), a web-based application co-designed with healthcare domain experts that helps to improve people navigate the health information space online. HIPPP will be used by patients and the general public to evaluate user-provided web-based health information (WBHI) sources with respect to the QUEST framework and return a quality score for the information sources. As a web application, HIPPP is developed with modern extreme model-driven development (XMDD) technologies in order to make it easily adaptable and evolvable. To facilitate the automated evaluation of WBHI, HIPPP embeds an artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline developed following model-driven engineering principles. Through co-design with health domain experts and following model-driven engineering principles, we have extended the Domain Integrated Modelling Environment (DIME) to include a graphical domain-specific language (GDSL) for developing websites for evaluating WBHI. This GDSL allows for greater participation from stakeholders in the development process of both the user-facing website and the AI-driven evaluation pipeline through encoding concepts familiar to those stakeholders within the modelling language. The time efficiency study conducted as part of this research found that the HIPPP evaluation pipeline evaluates a sample of WBHI with respect to the QUEST framework up to 98.79% faster when compared to the time taken by a human expert evaluator.

P39: Generational Status as a Factor in Medical Device Information and Data Exchange

Background: Medical devices (MD), either implantable, such as mechanical circulatory support systems, or wearable, i.e. motion/physiologic sensors, are increasingly utilized for diagnostic/therapeutic purposes. For maximal use efficacy and efficiency, MDs require individual compliance and adherence to operating instructions and data exchange. In today’s world we have increasingly shifted from paper-based information transfer (data sheets, directions for use, etc.) to periodic downloads, and web- and social media-based wireless communication. With growth of MD use it has become evident that a disconnect exists in the tactics employed by device designers and manufacturers compared with patient end-users. This disconnect relates to the form and means of communication utilized to convey and extract information versus patient facility with computer, smartphone and social media information exchange. As a starting point in examining this problem, we studied this disconnect as it relates to individual “generational” status. We conducted an anonymous survey, to examine “generational ” familiarity, acceptance and use; focusing on wearable technology and web-based information sources. Methods: An anonymous survey was developed and distributed to individuals ranging in age from 19 to 78, equally split as to gender. Generations examined included: Silent (age 74-91); Boomers (age 55-73), Gen X (age 39-54), Millennials (age 23-38), and Gen Z (age 7-22). Participants were queried via 10 multiple-choice questions related to digital health, wearable technologies and telemedicine. Results: Eighty-seven individuals participated in the survey. As to generational breakdown, this included 4 Silent (5% of group), 12 Boomers (14% of group), 9 Gen X (10% of group), 38 Millennials (43% of group) and 24 Gen Z (28% of group). Overall younger individuals tended to utilize and believed in the greater accuracy of wearable technologies compared to older individuals. Up to 90% of individuals under the age of 40 believed in the accuracy of wearable technology. Out of the 87 individuals surveyed, 95% reported they were comfortable with their personal health data (labs, imaging, medications, etc.) being shared electronically, but not a single individual believed that digital health/telemedicine improved their quality of care when compared to in-person medical care. Conclusions: Our results reveal that although all individuals are willing to utilize wearable medical technology and web-based information sources, younger generational cohorts are significantly more comfortable with the technology and more inclined to use it. Our hope is that this data may help guide future device development to incorporate means of addressing these generational disparities. Incorporating means of enhancing familiarity, adoption and facility of digital medical devices technologies and web-based information sources, will continue to improve use and value of these devices driving precision medicine.

Using Social Media Data to Investigate Public Perceptions of Cannabis as a Medicine: Narrative Review.

The use and acceptance of medicinal cannabis is on the rise across the globe. To support the interests of public health, evidence relating to its use, effects, and safety is required to match this community demand. Web-based user-generated data are often used by researchers and public health organizations for the investigation of consumer perceptions, market forces, population behaviors, and for pharmacoepidemiology. In this review, we aimed to summarize the findings of studies that have used user-generated text as a data source to study medicinal cannabis or the use of cannabis as medicine. Our objectives were to categorize the insights provided by social media research on cannabis as medicine and describe the role of social media for consumers using medicinal cannabis. The inclusion criteria for this review were primary research studies and reviews that reported on the analysis of web-based user-generated content on cannabis as medicine. The MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched from January 1974 to April 2022. We examined 42 studies published in English and found that consumers value their ability to exchange experiences on the web and tend to rely on web-based information sources. Cannabis discussions have portrayed the substance as a safe and natural medicine to help with many health conditions including cancer, sleep disorders, chronic pain, opioid use disorders, headaches, asthma, bowel disease, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. These discussions provide a rich resource for researchers to investigate medicinal cannabis-related consumer sentiment and experiences, including the opportunity to monitor cannabis effects and adverse events, given the anecdotal and often biased nature of the information is properly accounted for. The extensive web-based presence of the cannabis industry coupled with the conversational nature of social media discourse results in rich but potentially biased information that is often not well-supported by scientific evidence. This review summarizes what social media is saying about the medicinal use of cannabis and discusses the challenges faced by health governance agencies and professionals to make use of web-based resources to both learn from medicinal cannabis users and provide factual, timely, and reliable evidence-based health information to consumers.

Tailoring competitive information sources to the sequence of dynamic capabilities

AbstractDynamic capabilities are central to firms' strategic decision-making and have received increasing attention in recent years due, in part, to the development of the information society. This research explores how web-based and human information sources interact and advance the development of dynamic capabilities. We use a mixed-methods approach executed in two studies. Study 1 reports insights gleaned from in-depth interviews with 12 senior managers. Study 2 provides the findings from a survey completed by 139 senior managers. The analysis indicates that the use of web-based and human information sources facilitates all dynamic capabilities types – sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring. Furthermore, sensing mediates the effects of the information sources on seizing and reconfiguring. This research highlights the strategic potential of using business information sources to advance dynamic capabilities while differentiating between the most commonly used information sources and inspecting their individual and synergistic effects on the advancement of dynamic capabilities.

Online Health Information Seeking Behaviors Among Older Adults: Systematic Scoping Review.

BackgroundWith the world’s population aging, more health-conscious older adults are seeking health information to make better-informed health decisions. The rapid growth of the internet has empowered older adults to access web-based health information sources. However, research explicitly exploring older adults’ online health information seeking (OHIS) behavior is still underway.ObjectiveThis systematic scoping review aims to understand older adults’ OHIS and answer four research questions: (1) What types of health information do older adults seek and where do they seek health information on the internet? (2) What are the factors that influence older adults’ OHIS? (3) What are the barriers to older adults’ OHIS? (4) How can we intervene and support older adults’ OHIS?MethodsA comprehensive literature search was performed in November 2020, involving the following academic databases: Web of Science; Cochrane Library database; PubMed; MEDLINE; CINAHL Plus; APA PsycINFO; Library and Information Science Source; Library, Information Science and Technology s; Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection; Communication & Mass Media Complete; ABI/INFORM; and ACM Digital Library. The initial search identified 8047 publications through database search strategies. After the removal of duplicates, a data set consisting of 5949 publications was obtained for screening. Among these, 75 articles met the inclusion criteria. Qualitative content analysis was performed to identify themes related to the research questions.ResultsThe results suggest that older adults seek 10 types of health information from 6 types of internet-based information sources and that 2 main categories of influencing factors, individual-related and source-related, impact older adults’ OHIS. Moreover, the results reveal that in their OHIS, older adults confront 3 types of barriers, namely individual, social, and those related to information and communication technologies. Some intervention programs based on educational training workshops have been created to intervene and support older adults’ OHIS.ConclusionsAlthough OHIS has become increasingly common among older adults, the review reveals that older adults’ OHIS behavior is not adequately investigated. The findings suggest that more studies are needed to understand older adults’ OHIS behaviors and better support their medical and health decisions in OHIS. Based on the results, the review proposes multiple objectives for future studies, including (1) more investigations on the OHIS behavior of older adults above 85 years; (2) conducting more longitudinal, action research, and mixed methods studies; (3) elaboration of the mobile context and cross-platform scenario of older adults’ OHIS; (4) facilitating older adults’ OHIS by explicating technology affordance; and (5) promoting and measuring the performance of OHIS interventions for older adults.

Mapping Information Needs of Patients With Sexually Transmitted Infections Using Web-Based Data Sources: Grounded Theory Investigation

BackgroundAccording to the World health organization (WHO), more than 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired each day across the world. The incidence rates of STIs in the United States are at a record high for the fourth consecutive year. Owing to the stigma associated with the incidence of STI, there is a general reluctance to seek information in person. Instead, web-based information sources remain the primary avenues of information-seeking. However, these sources are designed without a comprehensive understanding of the information needs of individuals who have contracted STIs.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the information needs of individuals who have or suspect they have contracted an STI. A better understanding of their information needs can drive the design of more effective digital interventions.MethodsThis is a qualitative and analytical study of 549 transcripts (consisting of queries posted over the last 10 years) from web-based forums of the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA), which allows patients, volunteers, and health care providers connect anonymously. The analysis follows a grounded theory (GT) approach with multiple coding stages to uncover categories and themes.ResultsThree categories of information needs emerged. The first two, clinical and logistical, are similar to other contexts. However, our analysis shows that there is a significant need for the last category—psychosocial information. Approximately 59% of instances are linked to concerns such as confusion, discretion, remorse, and others. These needs vary across the stages of a patient’s journey from symptom manifestation to treatment maintenance.ConclusionsResponding to the needs of individuals who have or suspect they have contracted an STI requires compassionate and personalized responses (beyond factual clinical and logistical information). Web-based forums provide anonymity but do not adequately incorporate mechanisms, practices, or incentives to respond to diverse psychosocial concerns. Innovative approaches to add such support can make the digital interventions more effective for this group of individuals.

Examining How Internet Users Trust and Access Electronic Health Record Patient Portals: Survey Study.

BackgroundElectronic health record (EHR) patient portals are designed to provide medical health records to patients. Using an EHR portal is expected to contribute to positive health outcomes and facilitate patient-provider communication.ObjectiveOur objective was to examine how portal users report using their portals and the factors associated with obtaining health information from the internet. We also examined the desired portal features, factors impacting users’ trust in portals, and barriers to using portals.MethodsAn internet-based survey study was conducted using Amazon Mechanical Turk. All the participants were adults in the United States who used patient portals. The survey included questions about how the participants used their portals, what factors acted as barriers to using their portals, and how they used and how much they trusted other web-based health information sources as well as their portals. A logistic regression model was used to examine the factors influencing the participants’ trust in their portals. Additionally, the desired features and design characteristics were identified to support the design of future portals.ResultsA total of 394 participants completed the survey. Most of the participants were less than 35 years old (212/394, 53.8%), with 36.3% (143/394) aged between 35 and 55 years, and 9.9% (39/394) aged above 55 years. Women accounted for 48.5% (191/394) of the survey participants. More than 78% (307/394) of the participants reported using portals at least monthly. The most common portal features used were viewing lab results, making appointments, and paying bills. Participants reported some barriers to portal use including data security and limited access to the internet. The results of a logistic regression model used to predict the trust in their portals suggest that those comfortable using their portals (odds ratio [OR] 7.97, 95% CI 1.11-57.32) thought that their portals were easy to use (OR 7.4, 95% CI 1.12-48.84), and frequent internet users (OR 43.72, 95% CI 1.83-1046.43) were more likely to trust their portals. Participants reporting that the portals were important in managing their health (OR 28.13, 95% CI 5.31-148.85) and that their portals were a valuable part of their health care (OR 6.75, 95% CI 1.51-30.11) were also more likely to trust their portals.ConclusionsThere are several factors that impact the trust of EHR patient portal users in their portals. Designing easily usable portals and considering these factors may be the most effective approach to improving trust in patient portals. The desired features and usability of portals are critical factors that contribute to users’ trust in EHR portals.

Using Gaze Tracking as a Research Tool in the Deaf Health Literacy and Access to Health Information Project: Protocol for a Multisite Mixed Methods Study and Preliminary Results.

BackgroundPrevious studies have identified the internet as a major source of health information. Reliable and accessible sources of web-based health information are critical for cultivating patient-centered care. However, the accessibility and use of web-based health information remains largely unknown for deaf individuals. We used gaze-tracking technology to understand the navigation and use of web-based health information by deaf adults who communicate with sign language and by hearing adults.ObjectiveThis paper discusses our protocol for implementing gaze-tracking technology in a study that included both deaf and hearing participants. We report the preliminary results and lessons learned from the implementation of the protocol.MethodsWe conducted gaze-tracking sessions with 450 deaf signers and 450 hearing participants as a part of a larger, multisite mixed methods research study. Then, we conducted qualitative elicitation interviews with a subsample of 21 deaf and 13 hearing participants, who engaged in a search task and reviewed their gaze recordings. To our knowledge, no study has implemented a similar research protocol to better understand the experiences of deaf adults. As such, we also examined research staff notes and observations from team meetings regarding the conduct of gaze-tracking data to delineate lessons learned and best practices for research protocols in this area.ResultsFindings from the implementation of this study protocol highlight the use of gaze technology with deaf participants. We developed additional protocol steps to minimize gaze disruption from either lipreading or communicating in sign language. For example, research assistants were often unable to maintain eye contact with participants while signing because of the need to simultaneously point at the computer monitor to provide instructions related to gaze study components, such as the calibration process. In addition to developing ways to effectively provide instructions in American Sign Language, a practice exercise was included in the gaze tracker session to familiarize participants with the computer and technology. The use of the playback feature permitted a deeper dialogue between researchers and participants, which we found vital for understanding the experiences of deaf participants.ConclusionsOn the basis of our experience using the study protocol through a large research project, incorporating gaze-tracking technology offers beneficial avenues for better understanding how individuals interact with health information. Gaze tracking can determine the type and placement of visual content that attracts attention from the viewers of diverse backgrounds, including deaf individuals. The lessons learned through this study will help future researchers in determining ideal study designs, such as suitable protocols and participant characteristics (eg, deaf signers), while including gaze trackers in their projects. This approach explored how different ways of presenting health information can affect or enable visual learners to engage and use health information effectively.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR1-10.2196/26708

Comparison of COVID-19 Information Seeking, Trust of Information Sources, and Protective Behaviors in China and the US

ABSTRACT Due to the increasing amount of new information that is emerging about COVID-19, traditional and web-based information sources are commonly used to spread and seek information. This study compared differences in information seeking, trust of information sources, and use of protective behaviors (e.g., mask wearing) among individuals in the US and China during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 722 valid responses in the US and 493 valid responses in China were collected via online surveys in May 2020. Pearson’s Chi-square tests, independent samples t-tests, and multiple linear regressions were used to conduct the analyses. Results showed that US respondents accessed significantly fewer COVID-19 information sources, rated significantly lower levels of trust in these sources, and reported significantly lower levels of protective behaviors than the Chinese respondents. In both countries, trust in newspapers, radio/community broadcasting, and news portals were significantly positively correlated with protective behaviors. While trust of TV was significant in both populations, in China it was positively correlated, whereas in the US was negatively correlated, with protective behaviors. Findings from this study showed that coordinated and consistent messages from governmental officials, health authorities, and media platforms are important to promote and encourage protective behaviors.

Place in therapy of innovative drugs in multiple myeloma in 2021 and 2023 according to an expert panel Delphi consensus.

The objective of this study was to understand the potential use of single agents and drug combinations in multiple myeloma (MM) across treatment lines in the years 2021 and 2023. The method used was Delphi Panel Method survey, administered to European Myeloma Network (EMN) Italy Working Group centres. Future treatments were identified assessing all available web-based information sources, including therapies (single drugs or combinations) with strong evidence of efficacy, likely to be on the Italian market in 2021 and 2023. Participants were asked to report on the likelihood of prescription for MM therapies, across treatment lines. Across the 15 centres taking part in the survey, about 890 patients per year are forecasted to receive a new diagnosis of MM. In 2021, the Panel forecasted 66% of 1L-TE (transplant eligible) patients will be treated with bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (VTD) and 32% of patients with daratumumab-bortezomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone (DVTd), with a substantial decrease of VTD (15%) and a marked increase of DVTd (81%) forecasted for 2023. The 2L and 3L R(lenalidomide)-based combination treatments are expected to drop and will likely be substituted by a steep increase in P(pomalidomide)-based regimes (from 7% to 23%). On the contrary, in 3L treatment, all combination therapies (with the exception of IsaPd - isatuximab-pomalidomide-dexamethasone) are expected to lose market share in favour of the most recent new therapies. Expert Panel agrees that many different new drugs and combinations will be used in MM, with different mechanisms of action, both at diagnosis and in subsequent phases of the disease, with a corresponding decline of the drugs currently used.

Indigenous Mothers' Use of Web- and App-Based Information Sources to Support Healthy Parenting and Infant Health in Canada: Interpretive Description.

BackgroundWeb-based sources of health information are widely used by parents to support healthy parenting and aid in decision making about their infants’ health. Although fraught with challenges such as misinformation, if used appropriately, web-based resources can improve access to health education and promote healthy choices. How Indigenous mothers use web-based information to support their parenting and infants’ health has not yet been investigated; however, web-based modalities may be important methods for mitigating the reduced access to health care and negative health care interactions that many Indigenous people are known to experience.ObjectiveThis study aims to understand the experience of Indigenous mothers who use web-based information to support the health of their infants.MethodsThis interpretive description qualitative study used semistructured interviews and a discussion group to understand how Indigenous mothers living in Hamilton, Ontario and caring for an infant aged <2 years experienced meeting the health needs of their infants. The data presented reflect their experiences of using web-based sources of health information to support their infants’ health. The Two-Eyed Seeing approach was applied to the study design, which ensured that both western and Indigenous worldviews were considered throughout.ResultsA total of 19 Indigenous mothers participated in this study. The resulting 4 themes included distrusting information, staying anonymous, using visual information to support decision making, and accessing a world of experiences. Although fewer Indigenous mothers used web-based sources of information compared to mothers in the general population in other studies, tailoring web-based modalities to meet the unique needs of Indigenous mothers is an important opportunity for supporting the health and wellness of both mothers and infants.ConclusionsWeb-based information sources are commonly used among parents, and ever-evolving web-based technologies make this information increasingly available and accessible. Tailoring web-based modalities to meet the unique preferences and needs of Indigenous mothers is an important method for improving their access to reliable and accurate health care information, thereby supporting healthy parenting and promoting infant health.

I Read It Online: Understanding How Undergraduate Students Assess the Accuracy of Online Sources of Health Information.

Online sources of health information are a significant means by which the public educates itself about health and wellness. The purpose of this study is to investigate how undergraduate students evaluate and assess health-related websites for accuracy, as well as the self-reported factors used in identifying whether a website is an accurate source of information. One hundred and fifty-seven students participated by reviewing a series of 10 health-related websites and indicated whether they believed the website to be an accurate source of health information. Students completed an open-ended question to self-report how they made this determination. Results indicate that students were not able to accurately distinguish between credible sources of web-based health information and those sources that were previously categorized as not being credible sources. Analysis of self-reported qualitative feedback gave rise to 6 factors used to determine the accuracy of the websites reviewed. While students report using these factors, and these factors are consistent with previous research, this does not appear then to be translating to successful determination of a source's accuracy. Educating students in proper fact-checking and evaluation skills may be warranted to develop a generation of individuals who can be said to have better health literacy.

Benchmarking Australian sheep parasite control practices: a national online survey

Context The third Australian national survey on control practices for internal and external parasites of sheep, following similar surveys in 2003 and 2011. Aims To document current parasite control practices and attitudes, measure change and to provide a benchmark against which to assess future practices and attitudes. Methods An online survey emailed to 6460 sheep producers, with a paper version supplied on request. A follow up short survey was conducted to assess non-response bias. Analysis by region and key sheep enterprise. Key results There were 354 and 250 useable responses to the main and short surveys respectively. Mean reported rainfall of 407 mm in 2018 was 27% lower than the average for respondents and &amp;gt;200 mm lower than mean reported rainfall in the previous surveys. The top three methods for worm control over the past 5 years were preventative treatments (74%), preparing clean pastures by spelling paddocks (62%) and treatment on the basis of faecal worm egg count (WEC, 54%). The proportion of respondents using WEC monitoring in 2018 was 40.4%, with a mean frequency of 3.1/year, and this was unaffected by sheep class. The frequency of anthelmintic treatment for ewes and lambs and weaners was 2.1/year. Of the respondents, 36.7% had performed an anthelmintic resistance test in the previous 5 years. The most popular flystrike control methods were timing of crutching (76.4%), preventative chemical treatment (75.9%), timing of shearing (63.1%), mulesing (46.8%) and genetic selection (46.4%). Pain relief was widely used for mulesing ewes (86.6%) and wethers (90.9%). Only 17.3% used Australian Sheep Breeding Values for traits in rams. Most respondents reported ‘evidence of lice’ in the past 5 years (55.8%) and had treated for lice off shears (50.1%), short wool (16.6%) or long wool (6.6%), with only 26.7% having not treated at all in the period. Web-based sources of information on parasite control have become increasingly important. Conclusions Notable changes since the earlier surveys were high rates of pain relief when mulesing, an increase in the use of Australian Sheep Breeding Values for parasite-related traits, an increase in WEC monitoring since 2011 and an increased use of web-based resources. Implications Parasite control remains important for sheep producers and continues to evolve with new drugs and approaches. The surveys highlight the effectiveness of extension networks and identify where more attention is required.

Information seeking behaviour of indian and international tourists visiting world heritage sites in north Karnataka, India

Tourism is recognized as an industry by the Government of India since it contributes to employment generation and economic growth. Understanding the touristsx ’information-seeking behavior’ is essential for developing tourism-related innovative products and services. In this context, an attempt has been made to get insights into the information-seeking behavior of Indian and International tourists visiting tourist places recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as World Heritage Sites in North-Karnataka. The data has been collected by using questionnaires with the adoption of simple random sampling. Findings of the study show that a majority of the international tourists visit these places for understanding cultural heritage or for holidaying, while their Indian counterparts pay their visit as part of the educational program, visiting friends and/or relatives. Google is the most preferred search engine to collect travel-related information. Lonelyplanet.com and Trip Advisor.com were largely used by international tourists whereas Makemytrip.com was the most preferred by Indian tourists to make their travel arrangements, including transportation and accommodation. It is clear from the findings that International tourists depend mainly on web-based information sources, while Indian tourists rely on informal sources of information. Hence, it is necessary for the Government of Karnataka and private tour operators to host comprehensive tourists’ information on the web and establish 24 x 7 x 365 Information Helpline, and Information Kiosks exclusively for tourists to create a tourist-friendly environment.

Preferences of Information Dissemination on Treatment for Bipolar Disorder: Patient-Centered Focus Group Study.

BackgroundPatient education has taken center stage in successfully shared decision making between patients and health care providers. However, little is known about how patients with bipolar disorder typically obtain information on their illness and the treatment options available to them.ObjectiveThis study aimed to obtain the perspectives of patients with bipolar disorder and their family members on the preferred and most effectively used information channels on bipolar disorder and the available treatment options.MethodsWe conducted nine focus groups in Montana, New Mexico, and California, in which we surveyed 84 individuals including patients with bipolar disorder and family members of patients with bipolar disorder. The participants were recruited using National Alliance on Mental Illness mailing lists and websites. Written verbatim responses to semistructured questionnaires were analyzed using summative content analysis based on grounded theory. Two annotators coded and analyzed the data on the sentence or phrase level to create themes. Relationships between demographics and information channel were also examined using the Chi-square and Fisher exact tests.ResultsThe focus group participants mentioned a broad range of information channels that were successfully used in the past and could be recommended for future information dissemination. The majority of participants used providers (74%) and internet-based resources (75%) as their main information sources. There was no association between internet use and basic demographics such as age or geographical region of the focus groups. Patients considered time constraints and the fast pace in which an overwhelming amount of information is often presented by the provider as major barriers to successful provider-patient interactions. If Web-based channels were used, the participants perceived information obtained through Web-based channels as more helpful than information received in the provider’s office (P<.05).ConclusionsWeb-based resources are increasingly used by patients with bipolar disorder and their family members to educate themselves about the disease and its treatment. Although provider-patient interactions are frequently perceived to be burdened with time constraints, Web-based information sources are considered reliable and helpful. Future research should explore how high-quality websites could be used to empower patients and improve provider-patient interactions with the goal of enhancing shared decision making between patients and providers.

Competitive intelligence embeddedness: Drivers and performance consequences

The proliferation of Web-based information sources and social media draw firms' attention to these channels as sources of competitive intelligence (CI). To date, research has focused mainly on information collection techniques rather than on CI uses and its influence on firm performance. We define CI embeddedness as the extent to which management and employees incorporate CI in daily routines, so that actionable knowledge is transferred throughout the organization. A survey of 124 decision makers reveals positive impact of Web CI sources as well as alliances with information providers on CI embeddedness. Furthermore, while CI embeddedness shows no direct influence on firms’ performance, it has a mediated effect on performance through customer satisfaction.

Innovative web-based sources of data for geographical analyses. Advantages and disadvantages

The manuscript provides an overview of several prominent web-based sources of geospatial information that can be used to complement, and under certain conditions substitute traditional sources of data. Each potential data source is critically reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages outlined in the article would allow informed decisions concerning the use of those sources.

Developing a Scale to Measure Attitude towards using Webbased Information Sources: Validity and Reliability Study

This paper explains in detail about the methodology for the development of a scale to measure Attitude towards using Web-based Information Resources (ATWIR). Predominantly, it is found that few researchers play very significant role in teaching and learning. To understand the psychological and behavioural aspects that influences the use of Web-based Information Resources. This study presents the rigorous process in developing a scale that is valid and reliable for measuring the ATWIR. The psychometric properties of the scale include: validity < 1.75(t value) and Cronbach Alpha = 0.81, which is highly valid and reliable. The end part of the paper also discussed about the significance of the scale and how to use it in different context to promote the use of Web-based Information Resources.

Web-based Health Information Seeking and eHealth Literacy among Patients Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

ABSTRACTMany people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have low general health literacy; however, there is little information available on these patients’ eHealth literacy, or their ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise online health information and apply this knowledge to address or solve disease-related health concerns. A nationally representative sample of patients registered in the COPD Foundation’s National Research Registry (N = 1,270) was invited to complete a web-based survey to assess socio-demographic (age, gender, marital status, education), health status (generic and lung-specific health-related quality of life), and socio-cognitive (social support, self-efficacy, COPD knowledge) predictors of eHealth literacy, measured using the 8-item eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS). Over 50% of the respondents (n = 176) were female (n = 89), with a mean age of 66.19 (SD = 9.47). Overall, participants reported moderate levels of eHealth literacy, with more than 70% feeling confident in their ability to find helpful health resources on the Internet. However, respondents were much less confident in their ability to distinguish between high- and low-quality sources of web-based health information. Very severe versus less severe COPD (β = 4.15), lower lung-specific health-related quality of life (β = −0.19), and greater COPD knowledge (β = 0.62) were significantly associated with higher eHealth literacy. Higher COPD knowledge was also significantly associated with greater knowledge (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) and use (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) of web-based health resources. Findings emphasize the importance of integrating skill-building activities into comprehensive patient education programs that enable patients with severe cases of COPD to identify high-quality sources of web-based health information. Additional research is needed to understand how new social technologies can be used to help medically underserved COPD patients benefit from web-based self-management support resources.