Patient cancer information seeking preferences by age and source: A comparison of the 2003, 2005, and 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey
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Date
2010-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Title: Patient Cancer Information Seeking Preferences by Age and Source: A Comparison of the
2003, 2005, and 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey
Purpose/Procedure:
Patient education enhances the patient's ability to actively participate in the healthcare
decisions leading to an improved level of understanding. Modern technology provides society
with access to a seemingly unlimited number of informative resources. Most Americans are
bombarded with information from all angles; through newspapers, magazines, television,
advertising, and especially the Internet. Therefore when an illness arises, a wide variety of
information sources are readily available to most individuals. The rapid advancement of
technology over the past decade has potentially created a generation gap in accessing
information from the Internet. Older individuals may not have the same resources or skills as
those in the younger generation in reference to obtaining electronic medical information.
The purpose of this retrospective, secondary data analysis of information obtained from
the 2003, 2005 and 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) conducted by the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) is to compare the frequencies of patient cancer information
seeking preferences by age ranges and source to evaluate the self-reported trust level of the
participants in reference to the medical information provided.
Results:
66% of participants claim to have never searched for cancer information in 2007, but
77% did search for some type of healthcare information. In 2003 the most common primary
sources of cancer information were the Internet, books, and a healthcare provider. By 2007 the
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library was cited as the most utilized source and a healthcare provider was one of the least cited
sources.
Overall the participants aged 18 - 49 years were more likely to first search for medical
information at the library, while participants aged 50 and above cited the Internet as a primary
resource. As participants grew older, they were also more likely to seek cancer information from
a healthcare provider, magazines, and the radio.
Participants who did seek cancer information appear evenly divided regarding concerns
about the quality of the information sought. The most trusted source of cancer information was
reported to be a doctor and the least trusted source was the radio.
Conclusions:
• Since 2003, patients have shifted to searching first in a Library or Book before the Internet.
• Healthcare providers and Magazines dropped from being one of the first searched places to one
of the last.
• This study showed a trend of older age groups preferences to use the Internet as a primary
source of information.
• The Library was used as a primary source for those 18-34 and 35-49
• As participants grew older, they were more likely to approach a healthcare provider.
• Participants showed the most trust in Physicians as a source.
• The least reliable source from the survey results was the Radio.
• The Internet evolved and changed in trust levels over the course of the 3 surveys.
Description
Keywords
patient behavior, internet search, patient trends, information trust, physician trust, patient age, medical sources, HINTS