What Are Patients Seeking When They Turn to the Internet?
Author Information
Author(s): Shuyler Kristen S, Knight Kristin M
Primary Institution: University of Washington
Hypothesis
This study analyzes what people search for when they use a health-education Web site offering information about arthritis, orthopaedics, and sports-medicine topics.
Conclusion
The study found that most visitors to the health information website were seeking information about conditions, treatments, and symptoms.
Supporting Evidence
- 73% of queries were seeking information.
- Most frequent topics were conditions, treatments, and symptoms.
- 82% of queries came from the United States.
Takeaway
People often go online to find out about their health, like what a condition is or how to treat it. This study looked at what questions they ask when they do that.
Methodology
Content analysis was performed on 793 free-text search queries submitted to a patient-education Web site.
Potential Biases
The potential for bias exists due to the single coder for the coding system and the specific focus on a health education website.
Limitations
The coding system was developed and applied by the same person, which may introduce bias, and the study focused on a specific set of Internet users.
Participant Demographics
Queries were submitted from 34 nations, with most from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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