Consumer Informatics:

Summary

Objectives

To explore how the Internet is being used as a source of information, but also as a source of consumption in certain health-related fields. Determine the negative and positive impacts of this trend, depending on the topic or quality standards of websites.

Method

Synopsis of the articles selected for the IMIA Yearbook 2011.

Results

Six papers from international peer reviewed journals have been selected for the section on health information systems.

Conclusions

The articles selected discuss issues of major concern for online health information seekers, because of their positive or negative impact on health outputs.

Keywords

Consumer informatics - online health information - e-Health - quality - ethics

• References

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• 2 eEurope 2002: Quality criteria for health-related web-sites. Available from: http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Webmasters/HON_CCE_en.htm
• 3 Schembri G, Schober P. The Internet as a diagnostic aid: the patients’ perspective. Int J STD AIDS 2009; 20: 231-3. doi:10.1258/ijsa.2008.008339.
• 4 Barret L. Aspects juridiques et éthiques de la mise en ligne de données médicales nominatives et non nominatives. Medileg; 2009
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• 6 Yun KE, Park H-A. Consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea. J Clin Nurs 2010; 19: 2860-8.
• 7 Freund T, Freund M, Mahler C, Schwantes U, Ose D, Joos S. et al. Family Practice Web Sites: New Perspectives for Patient Care and Health Information?. Fam Med 2010; 42 (07) 501-6.
• 8 Lewis S, Thomas SL, Blood RW, Castle D, Hyde J, Komesaroff PA. “I’m searching for solutions”: why are obese individuals turning to the Internet for heal and support with “being fat”?. Health Expectat. 2010 Dec. DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-7625.2010.00644.x
• 9 Lunt N, Hardey M, Mannion NipR. Tuck and Click: Medical Tourism and the Emergency of Web-Based Health Information. Open Med Inform J 2010; Feb 12; 04: 1-11.
• 10 Nordfeldt S, Hanberger L, Berterö C. Patient and Parent Views on a Web 2.0 Diabetes Portal – The Management Tool, the Generator and the Gatekeeper: Qualitative Study. J Med Internet Res 2010; 12 (02) e17.
• 11 Starman JS, Gettys FK, Capo JA, Fleischli JE, Norton HJ, Karunakar MA. Quality and Content of Internet-Based Information for Ten Common Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Diagnoses. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2010; 92: 1612-8. doi:10.2106/JBJS.I.00821.