Internet and Social Media For Health-Related Information and Communication in Health Care: Preferences of the Dutch General Population

BackgroundHealth care is increasingly featured by the use of Web 2.0 communication and collaborative technologies that are reshaping the way patients and professionals interact. These technologies or tools can be used for a variety of purposes: to instantly debate issues, discover news, analyze research, network with peers, crowd-source information, seek support, and provide advice. Not all tools are implemented successfully; in many cases, the nonusage attrition rates are high. Little is known about the preferences of the Dutch general population regarding the use of the Internet and social m... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Van de Belt, Tom H
Engelen, Lucien JLPG
Berben, Sivera AA
Teerenstra, Steven
Samsom, Melvin
Schoonhoven, Lisette
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
Reihe/Periodikum: Journal of Medical Internet Research, Vol 15, Iss 10, p e220 (2013)
Verlag/Hrsg.: JMIR Publications
Schlagwörter: Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics / R858-859.7 / Public aspects of medicine / RA1-1270
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28985799
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2607

BackgroundHealth care is increasingly featured by the use of Web 2.0 communication and collaborative technologies that are reshaping the way patients and professionals interact. These technologies or tools can be used for a variety of purposes: to instantly debate issues, discover news, analyze research, network with peers, crowd-source information, seek support, and provide advice. Not all tools are implemented successfully; in many cases, the nonusage attrition rates are high. Little is known about the preferences of the Dutch general population regarding the use of the Internet and social media in health care. ObjectiveTo determine the preferences of the general population in the Netherlands regarding the use of the Internet and social media in health care. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was disseminated via a popular Dutch online social network. Respondents were asked where they searched for health-related information, how they qualified the value of different sources, and their preferences regarding online communication with health care providers. Results were weighed for the Dutch population based on gender, age, and level of education using official statistics. Numbers and percentages or means and standard deviations were presented for different subgroups. One-way ANOVA was used to test for statistical differences. ResultsThe survey was completed by 635 respondents. The Internet was found to be the number one source for health-related information (82.7%), closely followed by information provided by health care professionals (71.1%). Approximately one-third (32.3%) of the Dutch population search for ratings of health care providers. The most popular information topics were side effects of medication (62.5%) and symptoms (59.7%). Approximately one-quarter of the Dutch population prefer to communicate with a health care provider via social media (25.4%), and 21.2% would like to communicate via a webcam. ConclusionsThe Internet is the main source of health-related information for the Dutch population. One in ...