Where else would I look for it? A five-country qualitative study on purposes, strategies, and consequences of online health information seeking

Background. Online health information (OHI) is widely available and consulted by many people in Western countries to gain health advice. The main goal of the present study is to provide a detailed account of the experiences among people from various demographic backgrounds living in high-income countries, who have used OHI. Design and methods. Thematic analysis of 165 qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted among OHI users residing in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland was performed. Results. The lived experience of people using OHI seem not to differ across countries. The interviews show that searches for OHI are motivated from curiosity, sharing of experiences, or affirmation for actions already taken. Most people find it difficult to appraise the information, leading them to cross-check sources or discuss OHI with others. OHI seems to impact mostly some specific types of health behaviors, such as changes in diet or physical activity, while it only plays a complementary role for more serious health concerns. Participants often check OHI before seeing their GP, but are reluctant to discuss online content with health care personnel due to expected negative reception. Conclusions. This study adds to the body of knowledge on eHealth literacy by demonstrating how OHI affects overall health behavior, strengthens patients’ ability to understand, live with, and prepare themselves for diverse health challenges. The increasing digitalization of health communication and health care calls for further research on digital divides and patient-professional relations. Health care professionals should acknowledge OHI seeking and engage in discussions with patients to enable them to appreciate OHI, and to support shared decision making in health care. The professionals can utilize patient’s desire to learn as a resource for health prevention, promotion or treatment, and empowerment

Web-based Discussion Forums on Pregnancy Complaints and Maternal Health Literacy in Norway: A Qualitative Study

Background: The Internet is one of the fastest growing information sources for pregnant women and seems to be used across social and economic strata. However, we still lack knowledge on how interaction in Web-based discussion forums influence maternal health literacy, in terms of how pregnant women access, appraise, and apply information to promote and maintain good health. Objective: The aim of this study was to understand how Web-based discussion forums influence maternal health literacy; hence, we explored the role of interactions in Web-based discussion forums among women who experienced health problems during pregnancy. More specifically, we explored why media-literate women experiencing the medically unexplained condition, pelvic girdle pain (PGP), during pregnancy participated in Web-based discussion forums and how they appraised and applied the information and advice that they gained from the Web-based interaction with other women. Methods: Women were invited to participate in the study via postings on 3 different open websites for pregnant women and mothers. The sample included 11 Norwegian women who participated in open Web-based discussion forums when experiencing PGP in pregnancy. The data were collected using synchronous qualitative email interviews and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results:In our study sample, interaction in Web-based discussion forums influenced maternal health literacy in terms of increased health-related knowledge and competencies, increased awareness of health promotion and health protection, and increased system navigation. The women appraised and selectively applied information and advice that resonated with their own experiences. For many, the information provided online by other women in the same situation was valued more highly than advice from health professionals. Women reported that they used their knowledge and competency in encounters with health professionals but hesitated to disclose the origin of their knowledge. Those with a high level of education in medicine-related fields raised a concern about the Internet as a source of horror stories and erroneous information and were actively engaged in trying to minimize potential negative effects, by providing biomedical information. Conclusions: The popularity of Web-based discussion forums among pregnant women suggests that this group needs additional sources of information and support to complement traditional consultations with the health professionals. The professionals need to recognize that pregnant women access Web-based discussion forums for support and information to increase their ability to take better health decisions for themselves. This is a potential resource that health professionals may find useful in consultations with pregnant women

From seeking to using Internet-based health information - e-Health literacy in a Norwegian context

Aim: Health-related information is easily accessible on the internet, and a high proportion of the Norwegian population use the internet for health-related queries. This paper reports from a study of how people search, evaluate and act upon this information. E-Health literacy is used as theoretical framework. Material and method: The Norwegian data is drawn from an international comparative study with a mixed method design; two surveys and qualitative interviews with 16 participants. The material is thematically analysed. Results: E-Health literacy refers to the ability to seek, appraise and apply health information from electronic sources. The participants had high competence in information seeking, but low education corresponded with low appraisal skills. The application of internet based health information did not correspond with education level. Internet searches served different purposes: uncertainty, assisting others, information needs, or sensitive topics. The participants crosschecked the information against authoritative sources; and discussed it with family, friends or health professionals. Conclusion: The participants had high competence in information seeking, but differed in capacity to appraise their finds. Physiotherapists should acknowledge patients’ internet competencies and utilise their desire to learn as a resource for treatment and empowerment

Seniors in eHealth: Challenges for knowledge acquisition during information retrieval

With more information on the Internet, all citizens who need digital information to manage their everyday life must be able to access it and trust it. They should have enough knowledge to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) and online health information (OHI) in an intended and purposeful way. This paper investigates e-Health literacy (eHL) amongst seniors aged 65-90. It presents a case study on how they use ICT and access, appraise, and apply OHI in comparison to the way they use face-to-face health-encounters. Data comes from 17 open-ended interviews. These are examined based on eHL concepts describing eHealth literacy as an interplay between individual and social. The results show how participants are engaging in self- and co-management of their own or others' health-related issues and illustrate the help that they get or give to understand OHI. By examining how they use ICT and do (not) trust OHI regarding “serious cases,” this paper provides critical insight into ways seniors acquire information and how they appraise, understand or trust in it. Their information-seeking activities are performed mainly in private settings, seldom with professionals. They have lower levels of trust in their own, individual appraisal skills, compared to collective searches and appraisal skills. Norwegian seniors are cool and pragmatic, and emphatic on the “when needs must, see your GP!”. By examining differences in ICT use, knowledge acquisition and support given or received, the results pinpoint how providers must affirm seniors’ ICT use and individual and collective online health behaviour as assets for healthy ageing. A potential barrier for citizens’ use of OHI and health technology is the built-in understanding of health as an individual capacity and ICT use as an individual activity, compared to a contemporary understanding of health and the Internet as social practices and collective resources. Designers of health technologies and OHI should critically consider built-in understandings of content and users to enhance accessibility and value for citizens of all ages

Knowledge management from senior users of online health information point of view

In today’s society, all citizens who need digital information to manage their everyday life must be able to access it and trust it. They should have enough knowledge to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) and online health information (OHI) in an intended and purposeful way. The broader aim of this paper is to present and discuss health knowledge management (KM) from senior users of the online health information point of view. The theoretical point of departure is based on an understanding of health, knowledge and the Internet as social practices. This paper investigates e-Health literacy (eHL) and KM in health amongst seniors aged 65-90. It presents a case study on how they access, apprais, share and apply OHI in comparison to the way they use face-to-face health-encounters. Data comes from 17 open-ended interviews. E-HL and KM concepts are used to analyse and describe online behaviour and knowledge management in health as an interplay between individual and social factors. The results show how participants engage in self- and co-management of their own or others' health and illustrate how they get or receive help to understand OHI. By examining how they use ICT and do (not) trust OHI regarding “serious cases,” this paper provides critical insight into ways seniors acquire information and how they appraise, understand or trust in it. Their information-seeking activities are performed mainly in private settings, seldom with professionals. They have lower levels of trust in their own, individual appraisal skills, compared to collective searches and discussions. Norwegian seniors are cool and pragmatic, and emphatic on the “when needs must, see your GP!”. By examining differences in ICT use, knowledge acquisition and support given or received, the results pinpoint how providers must affirm seniors’ ICT use and individual and collective online health behaviour as assets for healthy ageing. A potential barrier for citizens’ use of OHI and health technology is the built-in understanding of health as an individual capacity and ICT use as an individual activity, compared to a contemporary understanding of health and the Internet as social practices and collective resources. Designers of health technologies and OHI should critically consider built-in understandings of content and users to enhance accessibility and value for citizens of all ages

Where else would i look for it? A five-country qualitative study on purposes, strategies, and consequences of online health information seeking

Background. Online health information (OHI) is widely available and consulted by many people in Western countries to gain health advice. The main goal of the present study is to provide a detailed account of the experiences among people from various demographic backgrounds living in high-income countries, who have used OHI. Design and methods. Thematic analysis of 165 qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted among OHI users residing in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland was performed. Results. The lived experience of people using OHI seem not to differ across countries. The interviews show that searches for OHI are motivated from curiosity, sharing of experiences, or affirmation for actions already taken. Most people find it difficult to appraise the information, leading them to cross-check sources or discuss OHI with others. OHI seems to impact mostly some specific types of health behaviors, such as changes in diet or physical activity, while it only plays a complementary role for more serious health concerns. Participants often check OHI before seeing their GP, but are reluctant to discuss online content with health care personnel due to expected negative reception. Conclusions. This study adds to the body of knowledge on eHealth literacy by demonstrating how OHI affects overall health behavior, strengthens patients\u27 ability to understand, live with, and prepare themselves for diverse health challenges. The increasing digitalization of health communication and health care calls for further research on digital divides and patient-professional relations. Health care professionals should acknowledge OHI seeking and engage in discussions with patients to enable them to appreciate OHI, and to support shared decision making in health care. The professionals can utilize patient\u27s desire to learn as a resource for health prevention, promotion or treatment, and empowerment

Exploring women’s self-reported health problems in pregnancy in the UK and Norway

Women usually conceptualize pregnancy as a normal physiological state. In contrast, formal maternity care provision tends to be focused on pathology and risk. The authors aim to explore the extent to which childbearing women apply a sickness lens to pregnancy. We have therefore examined antenatal problems spontaneously reported by 4,000 UK and Norwegian women who responded to the international social media-based Babies Born Better survey. We coded and classified the free-text comments of the respondents as either complaint or disease. We found striking differences in the rates and types of problems reported by the women. We discuss our findings by applying different perspectives of medicalization and of lay and biomedical knowledge