Diviani Nicola, Fredriksen Eva Haukeland, Meppelink Corine S, Mullan Judy, Rich Warren, Sudmann Tobba Therkildsen
Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Switzerland.
Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.
J Public Health Res. 2019 Apr 15;8(1):1518. doi: 10.4081/jphr.2019.1518. eCollection 2019 Mar 11.
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.
Thematic analysis of 165 qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted among OHI users residing in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland was performed.
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.
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.
在线健康信息（OHI）在西方国家广泛可得，许多人通过它获取健康建议。本研究的主要目的是详细描述生活在高收入国家、使用过OHI的不同人口背景人群的经历。
对居住在澳大利亚、以色列、荷兰、挪威和瑞士的OHI用户进行了165次定性半结构化访谈，并进行了主题分析。
使用OHI的人群的生活经历在不同国家似乎并无差异。访谈表明，搜索OHI的动机源于好奇心、经验分享或对已采取行动的确认。大多数人发现难以评估这些信息，这导致他们交叉核对信息来源或与他人讨论OHI。OHI似乎主要影响某些特定类型的健康行为，如饮食或体育活动的改变，而对于更严重的健康问题，它只起辅助作用。参与者在看全科医生之前经常会查看OHI，但由于预期会得到负面反馈，他们不愿与医护人员讨论在线内容。
本研究通过展示OHI如何影响整体健康行为，增加了关于电子健康素养的知识体系，增强了患者理解、应对各种健康挑战并为其做好准备的能力。健康沟通和医疗保健日益数字化，这需要对数字鸿沟和医患关系进行进一步研究。医护人员应认识到患者对OHI的搜索行为，并与患者进行讨论，以使他们能够正确看待OHI，并支持医疗保健中的共同决策。专业人员可以利用患者的求知欲作为健康预防、促进或治疗以及赋权的资源。
