What do healthcare providers think of patients who use the Internet?: An exploratory study

The Internet is a technology that is influencing multiple human factors (i.e. cognitive and social). Adults who seek information on the Internet about their health conditions are becoming more common. Providers have been wary of patient information searches, fearing that, at worst, conflicting information may provoke confrontation and doubt and, at best, the information is trivial or already well known to the provider. For this exploratory study a survey was conducted that investigates trends in healthcare provider information technology use and information seeking opinions. This survey was followed by a highly structured interview of n=21 providers. The researcher shows two provider strategies by which patients information seeking can be used to strengthen the professional clinical relationship.

Name thesis:degree_name

Communication

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Communication and Journalism

Year

2009

Author dc:creator

• Willis, Matt

Contributors dc:contributor

• Woodall, Gill
• Rao, Nagesh
• Brown, Coffee
• Fiedler, Kurt

• Patient-Provider Communication
• Survey Analysis
• Interview
• Internet
• Internet Informed Patient
• Healthcare Provider
• Doctor-Patient Communication
• Pilot Study
• Healthcare
• Social Technology
• Information Technology
• Health Communication

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds/90

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:cj_etds-1089