Gül Seçkin|Susan M. Hughes
Patient-Reported Outcomes in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Internet Users: Cross-sectional Survey
University of North Texas|Ouachita Baptist University
rapid diffusion internet decreased consumer reliance health care providers health information facilitated patients ability agent control health however empirical evidence limited regarding effects healthrelated internet use among older adults complicated proliferation online health medical sources questionable scientific accuracywe explore effects healthrelated internet use education ehealth literacy medical encounters patientreported outcomes patientreported outcomes categorized two dimensions 1 selfreported health problem 2 affective distress feeling worried anxious due information obtained particularly interested whether education ehealth literacy moderate association perceived strain medical encounters patientreported outcomesour study sample consisted online panel members used internet resource health information randomly drawn one largest probabilitybased online research panels paper specifically reports results obtained older panel members age60 years n194 first examined descriptive statistics bivariate associations pearson correlations independent samples tests used hierarchical ordinary least squares regression analyses running separate regressions patientreported outcome model 1 entered main effects model 2 technology medical encounter variables included model 3 added statistical interaction termsage 17 p02 gender 22 p01 medical satisfaction 28 p01 significant predictors selfreported health problems affective distress positively predicted gender 13 p05 satisfaction medical encounters 34 p001 negatively predicted education 18 p03 ehealth literacy 32 p01 association experiencing health problem relation healthrelated internet use perception strained medical encounters greater among respondents lower levels education 55 p04 also significant interaction education ehealth literacy predicting level affective distress 60 p05 indicated higher levels education predicted lower averages feeling anxiety worry despite lower ehealth literacy older women reported higher averages affective distress 13 p05 older men reported higher averages experiencing selfreported health problem 22 p01this study provides evidence effect healthrelated internet use patientreported outcomes implications medical encounters results could used guide educational ehealth literacy interventions older individuals