Consumer Health Informatics

What is consumer health?

In Canada, over 80% of people aged 16 and over used the internet for personal and educational use, with the average person using 10+ hours per week (Statistics Canada, 2013). With this much time spent online, people are becoming consumers of online media and use the information provided as they seem fit. Websites act as stores of information but what exactly are we buying into?

As information becomes easier to access with the use of technology, people are obtaining their health education and recommendation online as opposed to their regular health care professional.
Information that once only belonged in the hands of healthcare professionals is now readily available at the tips of our fingers with a simple search (CPHA, 2013). This crossover of how information is being accessed, shared and used has great significance to health of all. Ensuring that patients and public are receiving valid information and using it properly is difficult to monitor as a nurse.

Traditionally, when a person was feeling ill, they would call their doctor or drop by a health clinic to find out what was wrong, and seek a simple solution. Unfortunately, with the shortages of doctors and the increasing wait times at offices and emergency rooms, people are seeking more convenient sources to diagnose. There is a growing number of websites that offer to help understand what their symptoms mean and what the underlying cause could be. Like many aspect of technology, this can cause a negative impact on health consumers.

For example, WebMD is a website that offers a "symptom checker" option that allows browsers to click what symptoms apply to them. The checker then provides the user with a list of possible most likely and common conditions and ailments the person might have.

 While it seems more convenient to simply check rather than taking the time to see a professional for something that might be minor, these results can cause more problems than benefits. These searches are meant to be a first step in the process of seeking help and expanding health knowledge. When these sites are over-used and abused, it can create a sense of panic when they receive the results list.

Cyberchondria is the growing phenomena of people self-diagnosing based on internet results. Many people are already in a vulnerable mindset when they are feeling ill, and these "diagnoses" can intensify their vulnerability and fear. Someone might be expecting to see the result of influenza, but instead receive a more serious diagnosis. Not only can this lead to misdiagnosing, but also create a hover sense of anxiety (White & Horvitz, 2009).

If a person continues to believe that they are seriously ill without contacting professional help, this anxiety builds within. Initially these sites are helpful but cyberchondria can create an almost negative placebo effect. The longer a person revolves around the cyberchondria cycle, the worse their mental health can become causing stress- induced anxiety. A person who is relatively well can self-induce anxiety over the possibility of disease, which can result in physical signs of stress such as headaches, loss of appetite and socially withdraw.

This is where of the nurse intervenes to discuss how to properly use these resources. These sites should not be used alone when patients are gathering information about illness and disease. As well, nurses can educate and promote other forms of health teaching available online. The public needs to be aware that there are other reliable resources that are non-for-profit (CPHA, 2013).

For instance, the Health Canada (2013) website is a great beginning resource to expand health knowledge in a controlled and easy to navigate environment. The site is frequently updated and contains no alluring ads that may distract or give false information. Health Canada online continues a wide variety of information that is relevant to Canadians including printable health facts sheets, nutrition and physical activity information, and updates on consumer health safety.

As well, the site helps you find resources available in your area. The site is also available in various social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Myspace, Google bookmarks and email. This allows users to maintain the accessibility that they enjoy about consumer health.

 It is important to adapt the way information is accessed as technology changes so people receive proper health education. While there ca. be a possibility of negative impacts as patients have increased access to information, it is mostly a positive process. This wide spread of knowledge allows patients to have a better understanding of their care and options, which truly supports the movement and need for client-centred care. As patients learn more about health, they take control of their care to be the leader of their health (Dekker 2012).


References

Canadian Pubic Health Association. (2013). Evaluating health information online. Retrieved from http://www.cpha.ca/en/portals/h-l/web.aspx

Dekker, R. (2012). Survey: Consumers show high degree of trust in online health information, report success in self-diagnosis. Wolters Kluwer. Retrieved from          http://www.wolterskluwerhealth.com/News/Pages/Survey-Consumers-Show-High-Degree-of-  Trust-in-Online-Health-Information,-Report-Success-in-Self-Diagnosis--.aspx

DNews. (2013). Why you shouldn’t self-diagnose on the internet. Retrieved from            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-P30s7c1d0

Health Canada. (2013). Retrieved from www.hc-sc.gc.ca

Statistics Canada. (2013). Canadian internet use survey. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130419/dq130419d-eng.htm

WebMD. (2013). Symptom Checker. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/

White, R. &Horvitz, E. (2009). Cyberchondria: Studies of the escalation of medical concerns in Web search. ACM Transactions on Information Systems. 27(4). Doi:10.1145/1629096.1629101