Use of the Internet for Health Information Among Primary Care Patients in Rural West Texas
Use of the Internet for Health Information Among Primary Care Patients in Rural West Texas
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DOI：
10.1097/smj.0b013e3181a52117
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发表时间：
2009-06-01
影响因子：
1.1
通讯作者：
Ragain, Mike
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Zhang, Yan;Jones, Betsy;Ragain, Mike
背景：对于农村、偏远或边境地区的初级保健患者如何使用互联网获取健康信息知之甚少。本研究考察了德克萨斯州西部此类地区初级保健诊所患者使用互联网获取医疗信息的相关因素。方法：从为低收入农村地区人口提供服务的九家诊所抽取便利样本。在2006年冬季的6周期间，向患者分发了调查表。分析样本包括1890名参与者。结果：在1890名受试者中，699人（37%）报告曾使用互联网获取医疗信息。在报告使用互联网获取健康信息的受访者中，受访者的主要使用模式是要求更多的健康信息（29.9%），其次是购买健康用品（13.4%）。大多数互联网用户（78.8%）同意在线医疗/健康信息提高了他们对特定病症，疾病或治疗的了解。近60%的网民认为这些信息是可靠的。互联网使用的相关因素包括健康保险，自我评价的健康，健康的信心，和担心的天数以及年龄，教育水平，种族，和language.Conclusions：我们的研究结果显示，互联网使用率低得多的医疗/健康信息相比，2006年全国范围内的调查。这一发现表明，通过网站或其他在线资源宣传健康/医疗信息可能不是接触偏远、农村或边境地区大多数患者的最有效方式。
Background: Little is known about how primary care patients in rural, remote or border areas use the internet for their health information. This Study examined the factors related to internet use for medical information among primary care clinic patients in such areas of West Texas.Methods: A convenience sample was drawn from nine clinics that serve low-income rural area Populations. Surveys were distributed to the patients during a 6-week period in the winter of 2006. The analytical sample included 1890 participants. Logistic regressions were conducted.Results: Of 1890 subjects, 699 (37%) reported having used the internet for medical information. Among those who reported using the internet for health information, respondents' primary usage pattern was to request more health information (29.9%), followed by the purchase of health supplies (13.4%). Most internet users (78.8%) agreed that the online medical/health information had improved their understanding of a specific condition, disease, or treatment. Almost 60% of the internet users thought the information was reliable. The correlates of internet use included health insurance, self-rated health, health confidence, and number Of Worried days as well as age, education level, ethnicity, and language.Conclusions: Our findings showed a much lower rate of internet use for medical/health information compared with a 2006 nationwide survey. This finding suggests that promoting health/medical information through websites or other on-line resources might not be the most effective way to reach a majority of patients in remote, rural or border areas.