1 Department of Communication Science, University of Twente , Enschede, Netherlands .
2 Biomedical Signals and Systems Group, University of Twente , Enschede, Netherlands .
Telemed J E Health. 2017 Sep;23(9):741-746. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2016.0210. Epub 2017 Feb 16.
With the introduction of online health screenings, guidelines describing how to communicate about a person's health need to be adapted for a digital setting. This study aimed to uncover older adults' preferences regarding such online messages.
Thirty older adults (aged 65 to 75 years) viewed four versions of the results message of a screening aimed at identifying frailty: a standard, empathic, tailored, or both empathic and tailored message. After each version, they were interviewed about what they (dis)liked about the message. They also ranked the four versions according to preference. Ranks were analyzed with a Friedman's test and a Wilcoxon's signed-rank test.
There was no significant difference for message-type preference when the outcome was positive. For the prefrail or frail outcome, message-type preferences differed (χ = 10.51, p = 0.02 and χ = 13.56, p < 0.01, respectively). Overall, for the prefrail and frail outcome, the tailored version was appreciated most. Participants commented that the tailored version made them feel appreciated more as a person. Some found the empathic additions comforting, others found these unnecessary.
When communicating the results of an online health screening to older adults via the Internet, one should primarily tailor the message toward personal characteristics. The effect of empathic elements in results messages appeared to be limited. Whether a message should be adapted depends on whether the outcome is positive or negative.
随着在线健康筛查的引入，用于描述如何就个人健康问题进行沟通的指导方针需要适应数字环境。本研究旨在揭示老年人对这些在线信息的偏好。
30 名年龄在 65 至 75 岁的老年人观看了旨在识别虚弱的筛查结果的四个版本的信息：标准信息、共情信息、个性化信息和共情且个性化信息。在观看每个版本后，他们被问及对信息的喜好。他们还根据偏好对四个版本进行了排序。使用 Friedman 检验和 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验分析排名。
对于阳性结果，消息类型偏好没有显著差异。对于虚弱前期或虚弱结果，消息类型偏好存在差异（χ = 10.51，p = 0.02 和 χ = 13.56，p < 0.01，分别）。总体而言，对于虚弱前期和虚弱结果，个性化版本最受欢迎。参与者评论说，个性化版本使他们作为一个人感到更受重视。一些人认为共情元素增加了安慰感，而另一些人则认为这些元素不必要。
当通过互联网向老年人在线传达健康筛查结果时，主要应根据个人特征来调整信息。共情元素在结果信息中的效果似乎有限。消息是否需要适应取决于结果是阳性还是阴性。
