Engaging caregivers: exploring perspectives on web-based health information.

BACKGROUND

Informal or family caregivers are important contributors to health and health care and require support to sustain their role and address particular challenges. An experience-based health website may be an accessible, effective way to offer caregivers peer support and ultimately better equip them to care for themselves and their loved ones.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated how caregivers access and use information on the Internet about caregiving and their perspectives on the design and features of a new personal health experiences (PHEx) website.

METHODS

This was a qualitative descriptive study that involved three focus groups of caregivers for a total of 16 participants in a university-affiliated hospital in Quebec. Thematic analysis was used with transcriptions of recorded sessions.

RESULTS

With respect to how participants accessed and used health information, three themes emerged: searching for and choosing health websites, empowerment through the use of online health information, and concerns about health information on the Internet. In terms of their views on a health experiences website, the two main themes were: factors important for first impressions and perceived needs and expectations.

CONCLUSION

Caregivers accessed and chose health information in a similar manner to other people but still offered additional insights regarding online health information retrieval, usage, and other perspectives, which will be helpful for future web-based initiatives that aim to provide support to caregivers.