Increasing Rural Access to Health Information on the Internet

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis J. Lafrado ◽  
Linda Morgan Davis ◽  
Earlene S. Groseclose
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Rural Access

Web-Based Information for Patients and Providers

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-33
Author(s):  
Izabella Lejbkowicz
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
World Population ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
The Impact

The exponential development of Information Technologies revolutionized healthcare. A significant aspect of this revolution is the access to health information in the Internet. The Internet World Stats estimates that 56.8% of the world population used the Internet in March 2019, an increase of 1,066% from 2000. According to The Pew Research Center survey of 2012 81% of Americans used the internet and 72% of them searched for health information. Even though there is a lack in more recent data on the percentage of online health information seekers, it is clear that this trend is on the rise. This chapter focuses on the characteristics of the search for online health information by patients and providers, investigates features related to the quality of health web sites, and discusses the impact of these searches on healthcare.

scholarly journals The Importance of Health Information on the Internet: How It Saved My Life and How it Can Save Yours (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Kushniruk
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcome ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Patient Journey ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Good Patient Outcome ◽  
Access To Health

UNSTRUCTURED The Internet holds the promise of helping to lead to improved patient outcomes, especially when one is faced with a critical or life-threatening disease or condition. Appropriate and timely access to health information can support more informed negotiation of optimal treatments, optimal management and expedited recovery and ultimately an improved patient outcome. However, there are many human and technical barriers that may prevent or hinder the application of the best possible information for both patient and provider alike, making the patient journey complex and potentially dangerous. In this editorial the author reflects on a personal patient journey where use of the Internet facilitated a means to reach a good patient outcome in the face of a variety of informational and organizational limitations and gaps. The journey illustrates the importance of human related factors affecting access to health information. The application of a range of Internet information resources, applied at critical points can result in a positive patient outcome, as the case illustrates. This editorial reflects on how the experience highlights a number of information needs and concerns. It also highlights the need for improved access to appropriate health information along the patient journey that can support patient and provider joint decision making. This access to information can literally make the difference between positive clinical outcomes and death, illustrating how health information on the Internet can be both critical and life saving.

scholarly journals The Importance of Health Information on the Internet: How It Saved My Life and How it Can Save Yours

10.2196/16690 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. e16690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Kushniruk
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcome ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Patient Journey ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Good Patient Outcome ◽  
Access To Health

The internet holds the potential promise of improved patient outcomes, especially when one is faced with a critical or life-threatening disease or condition. Appropriate and timely access to health information can support informed negotiation of optimal treatments, optimal management, and expedited recovery, and to an improved outcome for a patient. However, there are many human and technical barriers that may prevent the application of the best possible information for both patient and provider alike, making the patient journey complex and potentially dangerous. In this viewpoint paper, the author (who is also a JMIR editor) reflects on a personal patient journey, where use of the internet facilitated a means of reaching a good patient outcome in the face of a variety of informational and organizational limitations and gaps. This journey illustrates the importance of human-related factors affecting access to health information. The application of a range of internet information resources at critical points can result in a positive patient outcome, as this case illustrates. This paper reflects on how the experience highlights several information needs and concerns. It also highlights the need for improved access to appropriate health information along the patient journey that can support patient and provider joint decision-making. This access to information can make the difference between positive clinical outcomes and death, illustrating how health information on the internet can be both critical and life saving.

The readability of online health information for L1 and L2 Australians: text-based and user-focused research

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pam Peters ◽  
Jan-Louis Kruger
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
First Language ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Australian Community ◽  
Reading Patterns ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Complementary Study

Abstract The readability of online health information involves several factors in communication, including textual factors in verbal messaging and demographics relating to the readership, both of which impact on access to health information for first language (L1) and second language (L2) individuals in the Australian community. This research aims to identify the issues inherent in health texts as well as different readers’ comprehension of the information in them. The paper focuses first on the readability of sample health texts, and the extent to which difficult elements can be identified by the standard readability measures (Flesch-Kincaid, SMOG), as well as psycholinguistically informed measures of reading ease developed by Co-Matrix for general (L1) and L2 readers: TERA and Coh-Metrix L2. Coh-Metrix L2 points to linguistic factors that particularly challenge L2 readers of health information. A complementary study using eye-tracking was carried out to investigate the reading behaviours of 30 L1 and L2 participants seeking information from a health website. Statistically significant differences were found between L1 and L2 participants in their reading patterns, with L2 readers working more slowly and less reliably through online information. The findings highlight the need for health communicators to embrace the greater reading challenges for L2 users of the Internet.

Exploring Internet and Media-mediated Health Information within the Context of Personal Health Management

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelagh K. Genuis
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Management ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Étude Qualitative ◽  
Informal Information ◽  
Etude Qualitative

This qualitative paper explores how health information mediated by the internet and media is used and made valuable within the life of consumers managing non-crisis health challenges, and how informal information seeking and gathering influences self-positioning within patient-clinician relationships. Findings have implications for health information literacy and collaborative, patient-centred care.Cette étude qualitative explore comment l’information sur la santé relayée par Internet et les médias est utilisée et rendue utile dans le contexte de consommateurs gérant des problèmes médicaux non urgents, et comment la recherche et la collecte d’information informelles influencent l’auto-positionnement dans la relation patient clinicien. Les résultats ont des applications dans la maîtrise de l’information médicale et les soins collaboratifs centrés sur le patient.

Pregnant women readiness to use the Internet to access health information about pregnancy and childbirth: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Ahmadian ◽  
Reza Khajouei ◽  
Sudabeh Kamali ◽  
Moghaddameh Mirzaee ◽  
Arefeh Ameri
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
T Test ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Readiness Assessment ◽  
Pregnancy And Childbirth ◽  
Chi Square Test

BACKGROUND Today, the Internet may be a promising tool for interventions for pregnant women. However, these kinds of tools are only helpful if users are ready to use them. OBJECTIVE The present study was conducted with the aim of readiness assessment of pregnant women to use the Internet to access health information about pregnancy and childbirth. METHODS This study was carried out on a sample of 384 pregnant women. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire. The first section of this questionnaire collected demographic characteristics of the participants. The second part of the questionnaire contains 27 questions covering the following components: infrastructure readiness (6 questions); affordability readiness (3 questions); and skill readiness (12 questions). Data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and T-test. RESULTS This study was carried out on a sample of 384 pregnant women. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire. The first section of this questionnaire collected demographic characteristics of the participants. The second part of the questionnaire contains 27 questions covering the following components: infrastructure readiness (6 questions); affordability readiness (3 questions); and skill readiness (12 questions). Data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and T-test. CONCLUSIONS The use of the Internet by pregnant women depends on factors such as infrastructure, affordability, and skills readiness. This study showed that speed and the quality of the Internet, hardware and software availability, affordability of the Internet, and access to the Internet training were factors in measuring E-health readiness assessment. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

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