John Powell|Nadia Inglis|Jennifer Ronnie|Shirley Large
The Characteristics and Motivations of Online Health Information Seekers: Cross-Sectional Survey and Qualitative Interview Study
University of Warwick|University of Warwick|University of Warwick
households united kingdom internet access healthrelated internet use increasing national health service nhs direct website major uk provider online health informationour objective identify characteristics motivations online health information seekers accessing nhs direct website examine benefits challenges health internetwe undertook online questionnaire survey offered users nhs direct website subsample survey respondents participated indepth semistructured qualitative interviews telephone instant messagingemail questionnaire results analyzed using chisquare statistics thematic coding constant comparison used interview transcript analysisin total 792 respondents completed survey 712 534750 data available aged 45 years 674 511758 female 377 286759 universitylevel qualifications sought information 545781 698 someone else 172781 220 64781 82 women likely men seek help someone else someone else 168509 vs 61242 2 2 635 p 04 prior consultation health professional reported 449 346770 although less common younger age groups 36 years 2 1 2422 p 001 participants aged 16 75 years n 26 20 female 6 male recruited interview telephone n 23 instant messagingemail n 3 four major interview themes identified motivations seeking help online benefits seeking help way challenges faced strategies employed navigating online health information provision determining information use trust specific comments regarding nhs direct website service within motivation category four concepts emerged desire reassurance desire second opinion challenge information desire greater understanding supplement information perceived external barriers accessing information traditional sources benefits clustered around three theme areas convenience coverage anonymity various challenges discussed prominent theme emerged navigating online health information determining trust regarded common sense activity brand recognition important specific comments nhs direct included perception online service integrated traditional service provisionthis study supports model evolutionary rather revolutionary change online health information use given increasing resource constraints health care community needs seek ways promoting efficient appropriate health service use aim harness potential benefits internet informed understanding people go online health