Table 8 Patient use of Internet for health information and support
Survey | Response | Location | Age | Gender | Total: n (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMHC: n (%) | HKMC: n (%) | FXMC: n (%) | 18–39 years | 40+ years | F | M | Unknown | |||
I access information about general health issues on the Internet | Often | 64 (42.4) | 33 (37.5) | 26 (37.1) | 70 (43.8) | 53 (35.6) | 83 (38.1) | 39 (44.3) | 1 (33.3) | 123 (39.8) |
Sometimes | 80 (53.0) | 45 (51.1) | 22 (31.4) | 81 (50.6) | 66 (44.3) | 107 (49.1) | 38 (43.2) | 2 (66.7) | 147 (47.6) | |
Never | 7 (4.6) | 10 (11.4) | 22 (31.4) | 9 (5.6) | 30 (20.1) | 28 (12.8) | 11 (12.5) | 0 (0.0) | 39 (12.6) | |
Total | 151 (100) | 88 (100) | 70 (100) | 160 (100) | 149 (100) | 218 (100) | 88 (100) | 3 (100) | 309 (100) | |
I access information about mental health issues on the Internet | Often | 47 (31.1) | 30 (34.1) | 22 (31.4) | 54 (33.8) | 45 (30.2) | 68 (31.2) | 30 (34.1) | 1 (33.3) | 99 (32.0) |
Sometimes | 92 (60.9) | 45 (51.1) | 27 (38.6) | 92 (57.5) | 72 (48.3) | 117 (53.7) | 45 (51.1) | 2 (66.7) | 164 (53.1) | |
Never | 12 (7.9) | 13 (14.8) | 21 (30) | 14 (8.8) | 32 (21.5) | 33 (15.1) | 13 (14.8) | 0 (0.0) | 46 (14.9) | |
Total | 151 (100) | 88 (100) | 70 (100) | 160 (100) | 149 (100) | 218 (100) | 88 (100) | 3 (100) | 309 (100) | |
If you selected i or ii to questions 3.1 and/ or 3.2,what types of Internet sources have you used to access health information (please select all that apply). | Official websites | 56 (38.4) | 34 (42.5) | 17 (33.3) | 57 (37.7) | 50 (40.7) | 73 (37.2) | 32 (41.0) | 2 (66.7) | 107 (38.6) |
Online discussion forums | 45 (30.8) | 14 (17.5) | 8 (15.7) | 48 (31.2) | 19 (15.4) | 46 (23.5) | 20 (25.6) | 1 (33.3) | 67 (24.2) | |
Online or mobile apps | 63 (43.2) | 24 (30.0) | 25 (49.0) | 73 (47.4) | 39 (31.7) | 72 (36.7) | 38 (48.7) | 2 (66.7) | 112 (40.4) | |
Social media | 67 (35.9) | 41 (51.3) | 23 (45.1) | 72 (46.8) | 59 (48.0) | 93 (47.4) | 38 (48.7) | 0 (0.0) | 131 (47.3) | |
Other (fill in) | 11 (7.5) | 8 (10.0) | 4 (7.8) | 11 (7.1) | 12 (9.8) | 19 (9.7) | 3 (3.8) | 1 (33.3) | 23 (8.3) | |
Missing | 2 (1.4) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.3) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.7) | |
Total | 146 (100) | 80 (100) | 51 (100) | 154 (100) | 123 (100) | 196 (100) | 78 (100) | 3 (100) | 277 (100) | |
If you selected i or ii to questions 3.1 and/ or 3.2,what types of information do you generally search for? (Choose all that apply) | Information about medications | 58 (39.8) | 42 (52.5) | 18 (35.3) | 62 (40.2) | 56 (45.5) | 85 (43.4) | 30 (38.5) | 3 (100) | 118 (52.3) |
Information on how to cope with or manage symptoms | 82 (56.2) | 36 (45.0) | 15 (29.4) | 84 (54.5) | 49 (39.8) | 94 (48.0) | 36 (46.2) | 3 (100) | 133 (48.0) | |
General information about health and/ or mental health problems | 119 (81.5) | 45 (56.3) | 34 (66.7) | 121 (78.6) | 77 (62.6) | 141 (71.9) | 54 (69.2) | 3 (100) | 198 (71.5) | |
Information about general health and/ or mental health services | 62 (42.5) | 36 (45.0) | 19 (37.3) | 63 (40.3) | 54 (43.9) | 88 (44.9) | 27 (34.6) | 2 (66.7) | 117 (42.2) | |
Other (fill) | 4 (2.7) | 7 (8.8) | 3 (5.9) | 6 (39.0) | 8 (6.5) | 12 (6.1) | 2 (2.6) | 0 (0.0) | 14 (5.1) | |
Total | 146 (100) | 80 (100) | 51 (100) | 154 (100) | 123 (100) | 196 (100) | 78 (100) | 3 (100) | 277 (100) | |
I feel confident in my ability to use the Internet to find health and mental health information | Strongly Disagree | 1 (0.7) | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.6) | 1 (0.7) | 2 (0.9) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.6) |
Disagree | 8 (5.3) | 4 (4.5) | 6 (8.6) | 6 (3.8) | 12 (8.1) | 10 (4.6) | 8 (9.1) | 0 (0.0) | 18 (5.8) | |
Undecided | 56 (37.1) | 20 (22.7) | 31 (44.3) | 63 (39.4) | 44 (29.5) | 74 (33.9) | 32 (36.4) | 1 (33.3) | 107 (34.6) | |
Agree | 77 (51.0) | 61 (69.3) | 30 (42.9) | 79 (49.4) | 89 (59.7) | 122 (56.0) | 44 (50.0) | 2 (66.7) | 168 (54.4) | |
Strongly Agree | 9 (6.0) | 2 (2.3) | 3 (4.3) | 11 (6.9) | 3 (2.0) | 10 (4.6) | 4 (4.5) | 0 (0.0) | 14 (4.5) | |
Total | 151 (100) | 88 (100) | 70 (100) | 160 (100) | 149 (100) | 218 (100) | 88 (100) | 3 (100) | 309 (100) | |
I feel confident in my ability to tell the difference between high quality and low quality sources of health information on the Internet | Strongly Disagree | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.3) |
Disagree | 9 (6.0) | 4 (4.5) | 7 (10) | 9 (5.6) | 11 (7.4) | 13 (6.0) | 7 (8.0) | 0 (0.0) | 20 (6.5) | |
Undecided | 57 (37.7) | 33 (37.5) | 31 (44.3) | 64 (40.0) | 57 (38.3) | 93 (42.7) | 26 (29.6) | 2 (66.7) | 121 (39.2) | |
Agree | 74 (49.0) | 48 (54.5) | 31 (44.3) | 76 (47.5) | 77 (51.7) | 103 (47.2) | 49 (55.7) | 1 (33.3) | 153 (49.5) | |
Strongly Agree | 11 (7.3) | 2 (2.3) | 1 (1.4) | 11 (6.9) | 3 (2.0) | 8 (3.7) | 6 (6.8) | 0 (0.0) | 14 (4.5) | |
Total | 151 (100) | 88 (100) | 70 (100) | 160 (100) | 149 (100) | 218 (100) | 88 (100) | 3 (100) | 309 (100) | |
I feel confident in my ability to use health information from the Internet to make health decisions | Strongly Disagree | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.3) |
Disagree | 26 (17.2) | 4 (4.5) | 8 (11.4) | 27 (16.9) | 11 (7.4) | 22 (10.1) | 16 (18.2) | 0 (0.0) | 38 (12.3) | |
Undecided | 62 (41.1) | 35 (39.8) | 35 (50) | 67 (41.9) | 65 (43.6) | 100 (45.9) | 30 (34.1) | 2 (66.7) | 132 (42.7) | |
Agree | 58 (38.4) | 47 (53.4) | 26 (37.1) | 61 (38.1) | 70 (47.0) | 91 (41.7) | 39 (44.3) | 1 (33.3) | 131 (42.4) | |
Strongly Agree | 5 (3.3) | 1 (1.1) | 1 (1.4) | 5 (3.1) | 2 (1.3) | 4 (1.8) | 3 (3.4) | 0 (0.0) | 7 (2.3) | |
Total | 151 (100) | 88 (100) | 70 (100) | 160 (100) | 149 (100) | 218 (100) | 88 (100) | 3 (100) | 309 (100) | |
I have previously used resources available on the Internet (e.g. web-based or mobile apps) to support me with managing health conditions | Yes | 58 (38.4) | 38 (43.2) | 29 (41.4) | 61 (38.1) | 64 (43.0) | 96 (41.7) | 34 (38.6) | 0 (0.0) | 125 (40.5) |
No | 74 (49.0) | 31 (35.2) | 23 (32.9) | 79 (49.4) | 49 (32.9) | 81 (39.4) | 40 (45.5) | 2 (66.7) | 128 (41.4) | |
Not sure | 19 (12.6) | 19 (21.6) | 18 (25.7) | 20 (12.5) | 36 (24.2) | 41 (18.8) | 14 (15.9) | 1 (33.3) | 56 (18.1) | |
Total | 151 (100) | 88 (100) | 70 (100) | 160 (100) | 149 (100) | 218 (100) | 88 (100) | 3 (100) | 309 (100) | |