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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Priya Nambisan, PhD, Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, One University Place, Rm 158, Rensselaer, NY 12144, (518) 402-0332, pnambisan@albany.edu and Robert Hawkins, PhD, Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis (CHSRA), University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1128, WARF Building, 1125 WARF Building, Madison, WI 53726.

According to the Pew Internet & American life project, 79% of the Internet users in the US (approximately 95 million adults) have searched for some type of health information on the Internet. More than 70,000 websites disseminate health information (Cline & Haynes, 2001; Grandinetti, 2000) and a number of these websites also offer online support groups. It is evident that people have different types of health information needs and adopt different information seeking patterns. But very little is known about how and when people adopt specific information seeking patterns in the health care context, and this forms the primary objective of this study. While some people may prefer to go to websites that offer a lot of factual information whereas some others may prefer to visit an online health community or discussion board and seek personalized or tailored health information from someone in the community who has the same health issue. According to the knowledge management (KM) theory, the former uses the repository model of KM (static or stored information) and the latter uses the network model of KM (knowledge shared through interactions). In this study, we adopt the KM theoretical perspective and empirically examine the health information seeking pattern of cancer patients who were offered the use of a computer-based set of services at a health care facility in Wisconsin. We have ‘use data' of about 132 cancer patients and we plan to analyze the data to (a) understand patients' health information seeking pattern and (b) identify the key factors (such as cancer stage, demographics, etc.) that may shape such a pattern.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Understand the pattern of information seeking behavior of cancer patients.
• List the key factors that would impact this information seeking behavior
• Develop a plan of action to develop a website that could cater to the different types of information seeking patterns of breast cancer patients.

Keywords: Public Health Informatics, Interactive Communication

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation