www.bournemouth.ac.uk

Navigating the Maze of OnlineHealth InformationJoanne MayohBournemouth University

BCS Health Scotland Conference, 2009.

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The Overview

• Background• The PhD• Methodology• Progress• Findings• The Future

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Background

• Increased number of people seeking health information via the internet

• Consumer Health Informatics (CHI)

• UK health policy- ‘Patient Led Care’

• Partnership approach

• Un-regulated information

• Challenges traditional paternalistic relationship

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The PhD

• Experiences of people with chronic illness seeking online health information

• Philosophical approach

• Stage One- Breadth

• Stage Two-Depth

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Methodology

Stage One Stage TwoPhenomenology

Questionnaire

quan+qual

PhenomenonQUAL

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Progress

• Stage one Questionnaire data has been collected

• Analysis of stage one data

• Starting to identify focus of stage two

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Demographics- Usage and Non-usage

Barriers to Online Health Information

• Gender• Age• Education• Health status

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Gender

Users

39.7% 54.1%

Non-Users

60.3% 45.9%

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Age

Combined Usage Non-Usage

Mean Age (Years)

63.4 56.2 69.13

Range (Years) 30-89 30-84 44-89

Standard Deviation (Years)

2.6 12.5 9.4

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Education

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Health Status

Usage Non-Usage

Excellent 11.1% 5.6%

Very Good 22.2% 13%

Good 33.3% 46.3%

Fair 26.7% 25.9%

Poor 6.7% 9.3%

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Non-Usage: Open ended questions

• Why have you never used the internet?

• Why don’t you use the internet to access online health information?

• What would make you more likely to use the internet to access online health information?

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Why have you never used the Internet?

‘ Never had the need till recently- now everything seems to be on the net’.

‘Do not posses a computer and at my age see little point in having one’.

‘Don’t know anything about computers, too old and don’t want to know’.

‘Don’t trust it’.

‘We have got a computer, my husband uses it, I’m a bit wary’.

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Why don’t you use the internet to access OHI?

‘Uncertainty of accuracy and reliability of information and concern about ability to interpret data given’

‘Very wary of info given’

‘Feels like I have enough info’

‘Had M.S for 32 years- don’t need or want to know. Don’t think about M.S’.

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Why don’t you use the internet to access OHI?

‘ Unaware Online health information available’.

‘Never heard of it before’.

‘Have not thought about it’

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What would make you more likely to use OHI?

‘ Being physically able’

‘If diagnosed with something else’.

‘Having answered 5) above will now have a go at this’

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What would make you more likely to use OHI?

‘Star system to show that information has been validated by reputable medical professionals’.

‘A list of “approved” websites’

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Summary- Quantitative comparisons

• Significant differences between the means of the two groups (Usage and Non-usage) for age and education.

• Gender and health status did not show a significant difference between the two groups (Usage and Non-usage).

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Reasons for not using the internet- Lack of equipment, understanding, a requirement.

Age, functional and trust issues.

Reasons for not using OHI- Lack of equipment, understanding, a requirement.

Functional, trust issues, lack of awareness.

Possible motivators for usage- Personal interventions (functional issues resolved, inc. knowledge) General interventions (‘star system’ and, ‘ “approved” websites’.

Future possibility

Summary- Qualitative barriers to OHI

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The Future

• Identify an interesting phenomena from stage one data to research in more detail in stage two.

• Conduct stage two of the study. • Stage two results will be analyzed and then

discussed alongside stage one findings

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Questions?

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References

References

Brodie, M., R. E. Flournoy, et al. (2000). Health information, the Internet, and the digital divide. Health Aff 19(6): 255-265.Cotton, S, R., Gupta S,S. (2004). Characteristics of online and offline health I

Information seekers and factors that discriminate between them.Soc Sci Med, 59:1795-806

Eysenbach, G. (2000). Recent advances: consumer health informatics. British Medical Journal 320(7251): 1713-171Gustafson DH, McTavish F, Hawkins RJ, et al. (1998) Computer support for elderly women with breast cancer. JAMA. 280Lorence D, Park H. (2007). Gender and online health information: a

partitioned technology assessment. Health Info Libr J 24:204–9.

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National Statistics. (2008). "Internet access 2008: households and individuals." Retrieved 10/08/09, from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/inta0809.pdf.

National Statistics. (2009). "Internet access 2009: households and individuals." Retrieved 30/08/09, from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/inta0910.pdf.

Stanley, L.D. (2003) Beyond access: psychosocial barriers to computer literacy, Inf Soc 19, 407–416

Turner, P., Turner, S. & Van De Walle, G. (2007). How older people account for their experiences with interactive technology. Behaviour and Information Technology, 26, 4, 287–296.