engleski

Internet in the old age: information sources of surgical patients

The growing interest of general population to seek health information on the Internet and the growing body of health websites and health topics on the Internet have been well documented in the recent health literature. Moreover, the Internet has become a popular mode of communication between healthcare providers and patients. The need to sort out good quality health materials has resulted in many efforts to set specific quality guidelines for publishers of Internet health materials. One of the aims of these guidelines is to facilitate better access to health information to all potential users. But how much do these potential users rely on Internet information when they really need it? This paper presents results of a study that explored the structure of information sources of surgical patients. Analysis of patient profiles shows that older patients rarely sought surgical information on the Internet, and mostly relied on communication with their doctors. Viewing the accessibility of health information on the Internet also in terms of its actual use by potential users, we think the future technological developments should also consider the attractiveness of this medium to different user profiles. The rich experience of the older generations might also be seen as a promising source of beneficial solutions. The proposed use of patient narratives might increase the human interest of health information presented and help reduce the present age-related digital divide.

health information; internet; doctor-patient communication

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