Aoun Lydia, Lakkis Najla, Antoun Jumana
Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Faculty of Medicine, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon.
J Med Internet Res. 2020 Jan 10;22(1):e15148. doi: 10.2196/15148.
The literature indicates that Web-based health information seeking is mostly used for seeking information on well-established diseases. However, only a few studies report health information seeking in the absence of a doctor's visit and in the context of acute symptoms.
This survey aimed to estimate the prevalence of Web-based health information seeking for acute symptoms and the impact of such information on symptom management and health service utilization.
This was a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of 287 Lebanese adults (with a response rate of 18.5% [54/291]) conducted between December 2016 and June 2017. The survey was answered by participants online or through phone-based interviews.
A total of 64.3% of the participants (178/277) reported checking the internet for health information when they had an acute symptom. The rate of those who sought to use Web-based health information first when experiencing acute symptom(s) in the past 12 months was 19.2% (25/130). In addition, 50% (9/18) visited the doctor because of the obtained information, and the rest self-medicated or sought a pharmacist's advice; the majority (18/24, 75%) improved within 3-4 days.
Higher education level and trust in Web-based medical information were two major predictors of Web-based health information seeking for acute symptoms. Seeking Web-based health information first for acute symptoms is common and may lead to self-management by avoiding a visit to the physician. Physicians should encourage their patients to discuss Web-based health information and guide them toward trusted online websites.
文献表明，基于网络的健康信息搜索大多用于查找关于常见疾病的信息。然而，只有少数研究报告了在未就医且处于急性症状情况下的健康信息搜索情况。
本调查旨在估计基于网络搜索急性症状相关健康信息的患病率，以及此类信息对症状管理和医疗服务利用的影响。
这是一项横断面研究，于2016年12月至2017年6月对287名黎巴嫩成年人的便利样本进行（应答率为18.5%[54/291]）。参与者通过在线或电话访谈回答调查问卷。
共有64.3%的参与者（178/277）报告在出现急性症状时会上网查找健康信息。在过去12个月中，出现急性症状时首先寻求使用基于网络的健康信息的比例为19.2%（25/130）。此外，50%（9/18）的人因获取的信息而去看医生，其余的人则自行用药或寻求药剂师的建议；大多数人（18/24，75%）在3 - 4天内症状有所改善。
较高的教育水平和对基于网络的医疗信息的信任是搜索急性症状相关基于网络的健康信息的两个主要预测因素。出现急性症状时首先搜索基于网络的健康信息很常见，且可能通过避免就医实现自我管理。医生应鼓励患者讨论基于网络的健康信息，并引导他们访问可靠的在线网站。
