The use of online health related information by medical students and their trust in the retrieved information

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Khajouei ◽  
Zahra Karbasi ◽  
Moghaddameh Mirzaee ◽  
Arefeh Ameri ◽  
Leila Ahmadian
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of The Internet

Abstract Background The Internet plays an important role in attaining health related information and its importance is growing worldwide. The majority of Internet users are university students. However, their use of the Internet for health information has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to examine the use of the Internet by medical students to search for health information. Methods This cross-sectional survey was performed on a sample of 400 Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacology students selected from three faculties. The data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire designed based on the review of the published literature and advice of a panel of experts. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 using Chi-square and Logistic regression.Results In this study 261 (65.2%) students used the Internet to search for health information. Most of them (n=175, 67%) somewhat trusted the reliability of information on the Internet. Women used the Internet to search for health information 1.74 times than men (p=0.016) and Medicine students 1.7 times than Pharmacology students (p=0.04). The majority of 20-30 years old students believed that using Internet had no effect on their visits to physicians(p=<0.0001). It reduced the number of visits in all students older than 30. Conclusions The content of online resources needs to be monitored in terms of its credibility for using by students especially those involved in health care domain. Based on our findings most students somewhat trusted the online health information. This is promising for the universities to plan for investment on online education and materials.

Quality of Health Information on the Internet

2009 ◽  
pp. 443-455
Author(s):  
Kleopatra Alamantariotou
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Effective Use

Recent statistics show that the World Wide Web has now grown to over 100 million sites: a phenomenal expansion in only 15 years (Mulligan 2007). It has been estimated that there are 100,000 sites offering health related information (Wilson 2002). As the amount of health information increases, the public find it increasingly difficult to decide what to accept and what to reject (Burgess 2007). Searching for information on the internet is both deceptively easy and the same time frustratingly difficult (Kiley 2002). The challenge for consumers is to find high quality, relevant information as quickly as possible. There has been ongoing debate about the quality of information aimed at patients and the general public and opinions differ on how it can be improved (Stepperd 1999). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the different perspectives on information quality and to review the main criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the internet. Pointers are provided to enable both clinicians and patients find high quality information sources. An understanding of these issues should help health professionals and patients to make effective use of the internet.

Quality of Health Information on the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 204-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kleopatra Alamantariotou
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Effective Use

Recent statistics show that the World Wide Web has now grown to over 100 million sites: a phenomenal expansion in only 15 years (Mulligan 2007). It has been estimated that there are 100,000 sites offering health related information (Wilson 2002). As the amount of health information increases, the public find it increasingly difficult to decide what to accept and what to reject (Burgess 2007). Searching for information on the internet is both deceptively easy and the same time frustratingly difficult (Kiley 2002). The challenge for consumers is to find high quality, relevant information as quickly as possible. There has been ongoing debate about the quality of information aimed at patients and the general public and opinions differ on how it can be improved (Stepperd 1999). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the different perspectives on information quality and to review the main criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the internet. Pointers are provided to enable both clinicians and patients find high quality information sources. An understanding of these issues should help health professionals and patients to make effective use of the internet.

scholarly journals Readability of Prostate Cancer Information Online: A Cross-Sectional Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1665-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey H. Basch ◽  
Danna Ethan ◽  
Sarah A. MacLean ◽  
Joseph Fera ◽  
Phillip Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Browser ◽  
Health Related

Reading and understanding health information, both components of health literacy, can influence patient decisions related to disease management. Older adults, the population of males at greatest risk for prostate cancer, may have compromised capacity to understand and use health information. The purpose of this study was to determine the readability of prostate cancer materials on the Internet using five recommended readability tests. Using a cleared Internet browser, a search was conducted for “prostate cancer.” The URLs of the first 100 websites in English were recorded to create the sample. The readability scores for each website were determined using an online, recommended service. This service generates five commonly recommended readability tests. All five tests revealed that the majority of websites had difficult readability. There were no significant differences identified between websites with .org, .gov, or .edu extension versus those with .com, .net, or other extension. It is apparent that the Internet is used often as a resource for health-related information. This study demonstrates that the large majority of information available on the Internet about prostate cancer will not be readable for many individuals.

A cross-sectional survey among physicians on Internet use for epilepsy-related information (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Brigo ◽  
Simona Lattanzi ◽  
Giorgia Giussani ◽  
Laura Tassi ◽  
Nicola Pietrafusa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Therapeutic Decisions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Web

BACKGROUND The Internet has become one of the most important sources of health information, accessed daily by an ever-growing number of both patients and physicians, seeking medical advice and clinical guidance. A deeper insight into the current use of the Web as source of information on epilepsy would help in clarifying the individual attitude towards this medium by Internet users. OBJECTIVE We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to explore factors which explained the influence of information found on the internet. METHODS This study was a self-administered survey conducted in a group of members of the Italian Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) in January 2018. RESULTS 184 questionnaires were analyzed. 97.8% of responders reported to seek online information on epilepsy. The Internet was most frequently searched to obtain new information (69.9%) or to confirm a diagnostic or therapeutic decision (37.3%). The influence of consulting the Internet on clinical practice was associated with registration to social network(s) (OR: 2.94; 95%CI: 1.28-6.76; p=0.011), higher frequency of Internet use (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.56-9.21; p=0.006) and higher confidence in reliability of online information (OR: 2.61; 95%CI: 1.09-6.26; p=0.031). No association was found with age, sex, years in epilepsy practice or easiness to find online information. CONCLUSIONS Internet is frequently used among healthcare professionals involved in the epilepsy to obtain information about this disease. The attitude of being influenced by the Internet for diagnostic and/or therapeutic decisions in epilepsy is independent on age and years of experience in epilepsy, and probably reflects an individual approach towards the Web.

scholarly journals Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Distress of Medical Students in Japan: Cross-sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshito Nishimura ◽  
Kanako Ochi ◽  
Kazuki Tokumasu ◽  
Mikako Obika ◽  
Hideharu Hagiya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Subjective Mental Health

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected medical education. However, little data are available about medical students’ distress during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide details on how medical students have been affected by the pandemic. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 717 medical students participated in the web-based survey. The survey included questions about how the participants’ mental status had changed from before to after the Japanese nationwide state of emergency (SOE). RESULTS Out of 717 medical students, 473 (66.0%) participated in the study. In total, 29.8% (141/473) of the students reported concerns about the shift toward online education, mostly because they thought online education would be ineffective compared with in-person learning. The participants’ subjective mental health status significantly worsened after the SOE was lifted (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). Those who had concerns about a shift toward online education had higher odds of having generalized anxiety and being depressed (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, 95% CI 1.19-3.28) as did those who said they would request food aid (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.16-3.44) and mental health care resources (OR 3.56, 95% CI 2.07-6.15). CONCLUSIONS Given our findings, the sudden shift to online education might have overwhelmed medical students. Thus, we recommend that educators inform learners that online learning is not inferior to in-person learning, which could attenuate potential depression and anxiety.

scholarly journals The Frequency and Related Factors of Internet Addiction in Externship and Internship Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, 2018

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Danaei ◽  
Ali Akbar Rohani ◽  
Ali Sajadi ◽  
Mohsen Momeni
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Internet Addiction ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Chi Square Test

Introduction: Internet addiction is a global phenomenon with an increasing trend in university students. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and factors affecting internet addiction in externship and internship medical students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on externship and internship medical students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018 during a 6-month period using convenience sampling method. In this study, the valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire of “Kimberly-Young internet addiction questionnaire” was used to collect the research data. The attainable scores in this questionnaire range from 20 to 100, so that  higher scores show greater dependence on the Internet. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 using the Chi-square test. A significant level was set at lower than 0.05. Results: Among the participants, 46 participants (18.4%) were normal users, 127 (50.8%) were at risk, and 77 (30.8%) were addicted to the Internet. Among the demographic factors, a significant relationship was found between gender (p = 0.041) and educational level (p = 0.024) with Internet addiction. Conclusion: policymakers should pay particular attention to the issue of Internet addiction in medical students, since Internet addiction may cause these students to neglect their critical duties during externship and internship. In this regard, holding effective training courses can be helpful.

scholarly journals Generic health literacy of adolescents in Germany: Results of a nationwide cross-sectional survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Jordan ◽  
OM Domanska ◽  
AK Loer
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors

Abstract Background For developing effective interventions to promote health literacy in adolescence, differentiated data on the distribution of health literacy levels is required, but still lacking for this age group in many countries. The study aims to measure the distribution of generic health literacy (GHL) among adolescents addressing cognitive, behavioural, communicative and motivational dimensions of GHL. Methods We conducted a representative nationwide cross-sectional online survey among 14-17-year-olds living in Germany (n = 1,235). Data on GHL were collected from 09.2019-12.2019 using the “Measurement of Health Literacy Among Adolescents”-Questionnaire (MOHLAA-Q). It was specially developed for this age-group and consists of a total of 29 items in four subscales: A: “Difficulties in Dealing with Health-Related Information”, B: “Health-Related Communication Skills”, C: “Attitudes toward One's Own Health & Health Information” and D: “Health-Related Knowledge”. We also collected data on socio-demographic factors. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out. Results About half of the 14-17-year-olds reported many (8.4%) or some difficulties (42.2%) in dealing with health information. We observed low communication-related skills in 28.1% of adolescents. Regarding the attitude towards their own health and health information, 56.8% of respondents had a rather “partly passive/partly active” attitude and 8.8% had a “passive” attitude. 22.7% of the adolescents had a low level of health-related knowledge. All socio-demographic factors apart from age showed significant differences in each of the scales: by family affluence in all scales, by gender and by educational level in 3 scales and by migration background in 1 scale. Conclusions The results indicate a need for promoting GHL among adolescents. The differences in the four scales suggest that all dimensions of GHL should be addressed, but also considering socio-demographic factors at the same time.

scholarly journals Levels and Determinants of Health Literacy in Bahrain’s Community Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. e195-e195
Author(s):  
G. V. Asokan ◽  
Mohamed Yaqoob Ali Yusuf ◽  
Richard Kirubakaran ◽  
Abdulaziz Mohamed Muqbel Albadwi ◽  
Ahmed Ebrahim Saad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
General Physician ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Self Rating

Objectives: We sought to assess health literacy (HL) and its associated factors in the Bahraini community using a validated HL scale and address its deficient domains to inform policy. Methods: We carried out a conveniently sampled, cross-sectional survey using the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale in the Bahraini community. The scale has three key aspects: basic or functional HL (FUN-4 items), which corresponds to basic reading and writing skills, and knowledge of health conditions and health systems; communicative or interactive HL (COM-3 items) on communicative and social skills to extract information from different forms of communication; and critical HL (CR-4 items), the advanced cognitive and social skills to critically analyze information and exert greater control over life events and situations relating to individual and community level wellbeing goals. We examined the association between sociodemographic and health information for the survey tool items using the chi-square test. The relationship between total scale score and subscale scores of the three domains of the survey tool to sociodemographic and health information was investigated using the t-test and ANOVA. Results: Of the 836 participants (mean age = 26.6 years), single (64.0%) and university students (76.6%) were predominant; 15.6% reported long-term sickness and visited the general physician often. The highest mean item scores were for empowerment (1.8) and lowest for functional HL (0.1). The significant domain-specific responses to the survey tool items were 12 for critical HL, 10 for functional HL, six for communicative HL, and five for empowerment. Participants aged < 30 years old, female, married, pursuing/completed Master’s program, employed, and whose self-rating of health was excellent had higher total HL scores. Conclusions: Older, less educated respondents with a poor self-rating of health had low HL scores. We recommend further studies to address the relative importance of functional, interactive, and critical HL in the community to promote health outcomes.

scholarly journals Health-Seeking Influence Reflected by Online Health-Related Messages Received on Social Media: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahila Iftikhar ◽  
Bahaa Abaalkhail
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related

BACKGROUND Major social networking platforms, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, have become popular means through which people share health-related information, irrespective of whether messages disseminated through these channels are authentic. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the demographic characteristics of patients that may demonstrate their attitudes toward medical information shared on social media networks. Second, we address how information found through social media affects the way people deal with their health. Third, we examine whether patients initiate or alter/discontinue their medications based on information derived from social media. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey between April and June 2015 on patients attending outpatient clinics at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients who used social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter) were included. We designed a questionnaire with closed-ended and multiple-choice questions to assess the type of social media platforms patients used and whether information received on these platforms influenced their health care decisions. We used chi-square test to establish the relationship between categorical variables. RESULTS Of the 442 patients who filled in the questionnaires, 401 used Facebook, WhatsApp, or Twitter. The majority of respondents (89.8%, 397/442) used WhatsApp, followed by Facebook (58.6%, 259/442) and Twitter (42.3%, 187/442). In most cases, respondents received health-related messages from WhatsApp and approximately 42.6% (171/401) reported ever stopping treatment as advised on a social media platform. A significantly higher proportion of patients without heart disease (P=.001) and obese persons (P=.01) checked the authenticity of information received on social media. Social media messages influenced decision making among patients without heart disease (P=.04). Respondents without heart disease (P=.001) and obese persons (P=.01) were more likely to discuss health-related information received on social media channels with a health care professional. A significant proportion of WhatsApp users reported that health-related information received on this platform influenced decisions regarding their family’s health care (P=.001). Respondents’ decisions regarding family health care were more likely to be influenced when they used two or all three types of platforms (P=.003). CONCLUSIONS Health education in the digital era needs to be accurate, evidence-based, and regulated. As technologies continue to evolve, we must be equipped to face the challenges it brings with it.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document