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Communication Strategies Applied by Physicians to the Health Information Seeking Patients

Year 2020, , 139 - 146, 30.04.2020
https://doi.org/10.25282/ted.537225

Abstract

Objective: Today, health-seeking behavior is very common among patients. There are many studies examining this behavior of patients, but there are very limited studies on the attitudes of the physician to the patient who sought information. The aim of this study was to describe the communication strategies used by physicians for Internet-informed patients.

Materials and Methods: This research is a qualitative study conducted in January-February 2018. In our study, 30 faculty members from Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine have been interviewed. The participants were informed about the study and the interviews were voice-recorded with their consent. Semi-structured interview technique was used in these interviews. The in-depth interview method was used with open-ended questions. Two main questions were asked during the interviews: 1) How would you approach the patient who sought health information? and 2) Is there a case in hand? After content analysis, physicians were grouped according to their attitudes towards Internet-informed patients and quotations were made. 

Results: In this study, physicians were gathered in five groups according to the communication strategies they developed against the patient seeking information: Supporting the correct information (43.3%) , refused (26.7 %) , supporting after diagnosis (13.3%) , supporting (10.0%) and unresponsive group (6.7%). The supporters of the right information are those who accept only the health information obtained from the sources approved by the physician. The rejecting group rejects the information directly sought by the patient seeking health information, regardless of the source and accuracy of the information. The third group supports the search for information in the process after diagnosis. The supporting group is the group that directly supports health information-seeking behavior. The last group is unresponsive to the patient's search for information.

Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that most of the physicians had a supportive attitude towards health information seeking behavior of patients.  Further research is needed on how a physician-patient relationship model should be developed in order to meet the needs of patients who Internet-informed patients.

References

  • 1.Kannampallil, TG, Franklin A, Mishra R, Almoosa, KF, Cohen T, Patel VL. Understanding the nature of information seeking behavior in critical care: implications for the design of health information technology. Artificial intelligence in medicine. 2013; 57(1): 21-29.
  • 2. Manafo E, Wong S. Exploring older adults' health information seeking behaviors. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2012;44(1):85-89.
  • 3.Anker A, Reinhart AM, Feeley TH. Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods. Patient Educ Couns. 2011 Mar; 82(3):346–354.
  • 4.Mukherjee A and Bawden D. Health information seeking in the information society. Health Info Libr . 2012; 29(3): 242–246.
  • 5. Sommerhalder K, Abraham A, Zufferey MC, Barth J, Abel T. Internet information and medical consultations: experiences from patients’and physicians’ perspectives. Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Nov;77(2):266-271.
  • 6. Gerber BS, Eiser AR. The patient physician relationship in the Internet age: future prospects and the research agenda. J Med Internet Res. 2001 Apr-Jun;3(2):E15.
  • 7. Tan SS-L, Goonawardene N. Internet Health Information Seeking and the Patient-Physician Relationship: A Systematic Review. Eysenbach G, ed. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2017;19(1):e9. doi:10.2196/jmir.5729.
  • 8. Iverson SA, Howard KB, Penney BK. Impact of internet use on health-related behaviors and the patient-physician relationship: a survey-based study and review. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2008 Dec;108(12):699–711.
  • 9. Wald HS, Dube CE, Anthony DC. Untangling the Web--the impact of Internet use on health care and the physician-patient relationship. Patient Educ Couns. 2007 Nov;68(3):218–24.
  • 10. Sabel MS, Stringfield VJ, Schwartz JL et al. Patterns of Internet use and impact on patients with melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2005; 52: 779–85.
  • 11. Caiata-Zufferey M, Schulz PJ. Physicians’ communicative strategies in interacting with Internet-informed patients: results from a qualitative study. Health Commun 2012;27(8):738-749.
  • 12. Hall JA, Roter DL, Rand CS. Communication of affect between patient and physician. J Health Soc Behav. 1981;22(1):18–30.
  • 13. Stevenson FA, Kerr C, Murray E, Nazareth I. Information from the Internet and the doctor-patient relationship: the patient perspective--a qualitative study. BMC Fam Pract. 2007;8:47.
  • 14. Broom A. Virtually he@lthy: the impact of internet use on disease experience and the doctor-patient relationship. Qual Health Res. 2005 Mar;15(3):325-345.
  • 15. McMullan M. Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: how this affects the patient-health professional relationship. Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Oct;63(1-2):24–8.
  • 16. Chiu Y. Probing, impelling, but not offending doctors: the role of the internet as an information source for patients' interactions with doctors. Qual Health Res. 2011 Dec;21(12):1658–66.

Hekimlerin Sağlık Bilgisi Arayan Hastaya Uyguladıkları İletişim Stratejileri

Year 2020, , 139 - 146, 30.04.2020
https://doi.org/10.25282/ted.537225

Abstract

Amaç: Günümüzde sağlık bilgisi araştırma davranışı hastalar arasında çok yaygındır. Hastaların bu davranışını inceleyen pek çok çalışma vardır, ancak bilgi arayıp gelen hastaya hekimin tutumuna yönelik çok sınırlı çalışma vardır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, internetten bilgi edinen hastalarda, hekimlerin kullandığı iletişim stratejilerini tanımlamaktır.

Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu araştırma, Ocak-Şubat 2018'de yapılan nitel bir çalışmadır. Çalışmamızda Afyonkarahisar Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi'nden 30 öğretim üyesi ile görüşülmüştür. Görüşmelerde öncelikle öğretim üyeleri çalışma hakkında bilgilendirildi ve rızaları dahilinde ses kaydı alınmıştır. Bu görüşmelerde yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği kullanılmıştır. Açık uçlu sorularla derinlemesine görüşme metodu kullanılmıştır. Görüşmelerde iki ana soru sorulmuştur: 1) Sağlık bilgisi arayıp gelen hastaya nasıl yaklaşırsınız? ve 2) Bu konuda başınızdan geçen bir örnek olay var mıdır? İçerik analizinden sonra hekimlerin bu tür hastalara karşı tutumlarına göre gruplandırılmış ve alıntılar yapılmıştır. 

Bulgular: Bu çalışmada hekimler, bilgi isteyen hastalara karşı geliştirdikleri iletişim stratejilerine göre beş grupta toplanmıştır: Doğru bilgileri destekleyen (%43,3), reddedici (%26,7), tanıdan sonra destekleyen (% 13,3), destekleyen (% 10,0) ve tepkisiz grup (% 6,7). Doğru bilgiyi destekleyenler, sadece hekimin onayladığı kaynaklardan elde edilen sağlık bilgisini kabul eden gruptur. Reddedici gurup, sağlık bilgisi arayan hastanın, bilginin kaynağı ve doğruluğuna bakmaksızın, direkt aradığı bilgiyi reddetmektedir. Üçüncü grup tanı konduktan sonraki süreçte bilgi aramayı desteklemektedir. Destekleyici grup, sağlık bilgisi arama davranışını direkt destekleyen gruptur. Son grup ise hastanın bilgi arayışına karşı tepkisizdir.

Sonuç: Bu çalışmada, hekimlerin çoğunun sağlık bilgisi arayışı davranışına destekleyici bir tutumu olduğu görülmüştür.  İnternetten bilgi edinen hastaların ihtiyaçlarını karşılamak için hekim-hasta ilişkisi modelinin nasıl geliştirilmesi gerektiği konusunda daha fazla araştırmaya ihtiyaç vardır.

References

  • 1.Kannampallil, TG, Franklin A, Mishra R, Almoosa, KF, Cohen T, Patel VL. Understanding the nature of information seeking behavior in critical care: implications for the design of health information technology. Artificial intelligence in medicine. 2013; 57(1): 21-29.
  • 2. Manafo E, Wong S. Exploring older adults' health information seeking behaviors. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2012;44(1):85-89.
  • 3.Anker A, Reinhart AM, Feeley TH. Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods. Patient Educ Couns. 2011 Mar; 82(3):346–354.
  • 4.Mukherjee A and Bawden D. Health information seeking in the information society. Health Info Libr . 2012; 29(3): 242–246.
  • 5. Sommerhalder K, Abraham A, Zufferey MC, Barth J, Abel T. Internet information and medical consultations: experiences from patients’and physicians’ perspectives. Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Nov;77(2):266-271.
  • 6. Gerber BS, Eiser AR. The patient physician relationship in the Internet age: future prospects and the research agenda. J Med Internet Res. 2001 Apr-Jun;3(2):E15.
  • 7. Tan SS-L, Goonawardene N. Internet Health Information Seeking and the Patient-Physician Relationship: A Systematic Review. Eysenbach G, ed. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2017;19(1):e9. doi:10.2196/jmir.5729.
  • 8. Iverson SA, Howard KB, Penney BK. Impact of internet use on health-related behaviors and the patient-physician relationship: a survey-based study and review. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2008 Dec;108(12):699–711.
  • 9. Wald HS, Dube CE, Anthony DC. Untangling the Web--the impact of Internet use on health care and the physician-patient relationship. Patient Educ Couns. 2007 Nov;68(3):218–24.
  • 10. Sabel MS, Stringfield VJ, Schwartz JL et al. Patterns of Internet use and impact on patients with melanoma. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2005; 52: 779–85.
  • 11. Caiata-Zufferey M, Schulz PJ. Physicians’ communicative strategies in interacting with Internet-informed patients: results from a qualitative study. Health Commun 2012;27(8):738-749.
  • 12. Hall JA, Roter DL, Rand CS. Communication of affect between patient and physician. J Health Soc Behav. 1981;22(1):18–30.
  • 13. Stevenson FA, Kerr C, Murray E, Nazareth I. Information from the Internet and the doctor-patient relationship: the patient perspective--a qualitative study. BMC Fam Pract. 2007;8:47.
  • 14. Broom A. Virtually he@lthy: the impact of internet use on disease experience and the doctor-patient relationship. Qual Health Res. 2005 Mar;15(3):325-345.
  • 15. McMullan M. Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: how this affects the patient-health professional relationship. Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Oct;63(1-2):24–8.
  • 16. Chiu Y. Probing, impelling, but not offending doctors: the role of the internet as an information source for patients' interactions with doctors. Qual Health Res. 2011 Dec;21(12):1658–66.
There are 16 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Health Care Administration
Journal Section Original Article
Authors

Kadriye Avcı

Mehmet Mergen This is me

Gizem Çal This is me

Müberra Torun This is me

Seyit Ahmet Korur This is me

Osman Metehan Karcı This is me

Publication Date April 30, 2020
Submission Date March 8, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2020

Cite

Vancouver Avcı K, Mergen M, Çal G, Torun M, Korur SA, Karcı OM. Communication Strategies Applied by Physicians to the Health Information Seeking Patients. TED. 2020;19(57):139-46.