Consumer Assessment

Consumer Assessment

A set of interview questions were developed to evaluate the internet usage by the participants and the role it played in their healthcare involvement. Ten people were interviewed, none of which were healthcare professionals. Their ages ranged from 26-75. Of those, the group was evenly made up of males and females.   The interview questions were emailed to the participants, with 100% completion by all interviewees. 

The interview questions were used to gain more insight into how much the participants used the Internet, if they used it to locate health information, and determine how the internet contributed to their interactions with their healthcare provider.  For more information on the analysis of the interview, please refer to Table 1. For more information on participant demographics, please refer to Table 2. Participant responses for each question are summarized below:

Question 1: How often do you use the internet?

There were two responses that were provided for this question. Participants reported using the internet every day, or every other day.  Nine out of ten people use the internet every day, while one person reported using the internet every other day.

Question 2: Do you use the internet to find answers to health questions?

Nine out of ten people answered yes, they do use the internet every day, while one person answered no.  The nine participants that answered yes, all reported that they search for general information on symptoms and medications. Six out of ten participants (60%) reported that searched the internet for health information prior to seeing the doctor.  The reasons for searching the internet prior to  seeing the doctor fell into three categories: to find information on symptoms (100%), find treatment suggestions (20%), and search for physician and their ratings on the internet (30%).

Question 3: Do you share the information you found on the internet with your doctor?

Out of the ten participants, six (60%) had reported that they discussed information found on the internet with their healthcare provider.  The four participants who did not share information they found on the internet indicated that they did not share health information with their healthcare provider because they are confident in their healthcare provider’s care and did not feel the need contribute their internet findings.  The six participants that reported they did share information and received a positive response.  They reported that they had a collaborative relationship with their healthcare provider and felt comfortable discussing questions and internet findings.

Question 4: Purpose for searching the internet for information after seeing the healthcare provider?

Six participants (60%) reported that they searched the internet after seeing their healthcare provider.  Reasons for searching the internet fell into three categories.  Three participants (50%) reported searching the internet to find further information on a prescribed medication.  One participant (16.6%) reported searching the internet for more information to clarify what they were told by their healthcare provider.  Two participants (33%) reported searching the internet to verify the information they were given.

Question 5: What is the level of your participation do you have with your healthcare provider in developing a treatment plan?

The participant’s answers fell into three categories.  Four out of ten participants reported that the provider independently makes the treatment plan.  Four out of ten participants reported that they work collaboratively with the provider to develop a treatment plan. Two participants (20%) reported that they made the treatment plan and asked the healthcare provider for their opinion.

Question 6: Do you use electronic communication to communicate with your healthcare provider?

All participants (100%) reported that they did not use any form of electronic communication to communicate with their healthcare provider.  Participants indicated that they were not aware that it was possible to communicate electronically with their providers, or they were not aware of a how to do this. 

Question 7: Do you utilize an electronic health portal to help to manage your health such as viewing your lab results, diagnostic results, or the summary of your visit with your healthcare provider?

All participants (100%) reported that they did not use any form of electronic health portal. Only three participants (30%) knew about electronic health portals.  Although, they reported that no one had fully explained what the electronic health portal was, they were not aware of any of its benefits, and did not feel that they needed one. 

Discussion

The results of the interviews revealed that all participant frequently use the internet. Except for the oldest female participant who was 75 years old, all participants used the internet every day.  While 90% of all participants use the internet to search for health-related information, collaboration with the healthcare provider remains low for all age participants.  An equal number of participants do not participate in the care plan as those that work collaboratively with the healthcare provider.  Age ranges and gender were evenly distributed across both categories.  Although, all participants were Caucasian men and women, and therefore results could not be applied to a more diverse population. 

Lessons Learned

Lewis, et al. (2005) defines a health information consumer (HIC) as an individual who looks for health information such as health management information, disease prevention, and treatment options.  Dr. Ferguson further divides the health information consumers into specific levels.  A health information consumer at level 1 encompasses all of the consumers that search the internet for health information.  They search for information for themselves, as well as friends, or family.  At the higher levels of 6 through 10, health information consumers are utilizing resources such as their electronic health records and communicate with health care providers electronically to ask questions and manage their health (Lewis, et al., 2005).

My interview of ten participants, with ages ranging from 26 to 76 years old, revealed frequent use of the internet by all participants.  Additionally, all participants indicated that they utilize the internet to find healthcare information.  According to Lewis et al. (2005), all participants of the interview are considered level one health information consumers.  However, despite the regular use of the internet to investigate health care questions and find healthcare resources, the interview responses revealed that participants were not utilizing electronic resources such as an electronic health record or electronic communication tools to help manage their healthcare.  All participants reported that they were either not aware of these tools or were not aware of the benefits (Lewis et al., 2005). 

Having access to healthcare information and electronic health records provides people with the knowledge to manage their own health care needs confidently and accomplish their healthcare goals.  Lewis et al. (2005) defines this concept as empowered consumers.  She points out that many of the consumer heath informatics (CHI) resources that are being used are not integrated with the tools used by healthcare providers and healthcare organizations.  This lack of collaboration is ultimately taking away from the empowerment of the consumer (Lewis et al., 2005)

In the video by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS, 2012), Dr. Farzad Mostashari National Coordinator for Health IT, points out that healthcare providers are not adequately educating their patients on the electronic resources and the tools available to them.  Studies, evaluating the meaningful use of healthcare organization revealed that many healthcare organizations reported having meaningful use.  However, not even one patient of those organizations had been given access to their electronic health records.  Healthcare organizations reports that this was because patients had not asked for access.  Dr. Mostashari and Lygeia Ricciardi, acting director, Office of Consumer eHealth, explain that in stage II of meaningful use, healthcare organizations and providers are being held accountable for encouraging their patients to use of their electronic health records and making them aware of all the benefits (USDHHS, 2012). 

The results of my interview revealed to me that despite their frequent use of the internet, none of the participants were not fully empowered and informed consumers.  There is still a need for nurses and healthcare professionals to find ways to educate our patients on the electronic tools that support their health.  We need to continue to find innovative ways to provide them with the knowledge and confidence to be an empowered health information consumer (Campbell, 2005). 

Table 1. Interview Question Descriptive Results

How often do you use the internet?
Daily	90%
Weekly	0%
Monthly	0%
Other – Every other Day	10%
Do you use the internet to find answers to health questions?
Yes?	90%
No?	10%
If yes, what websites would you generally use to search for answers to your healthcare questions?
Search engine (google.com)	40%
WebMD	60%
Have you seen a healthcare provider in the past 6 months?
Yes?	100%
No?	0%
How often do you search the internet for healthcare information prior to seeing your healthcare provider?
0% of the time	30%
5% of the time	10%
10% of the time	10%
55% of the time	10%
80% of the time	20%
90% of the time	10%
100% of the time	10%
How often do you search the internet after seeing your healthcare provider?
0% of the time	20%
10% of the time	10%
20% of the time	40%
50% of the time	10%
90% of the time	10%
100% of the time	10%
Do you use electronic communication to communicate with your healthcare provider?
Yes?	0%
No?	100%
Do you utilize an electronic health portal?
Yes?	0%
No?	100%
Who makes the treatment plan?
Provider makes the decisions?	40%
Work collaboratively with provider to develop a treatment plan?	40%
You make the decisions and ask your provider for their opinion	20%

Table 2. Participant Demographic Details

Female Ages	Male Ages
26	28
30	36
40	40
64	50
75	65

References

Campbell, R.J.  (2005).  Consumer informatics:  Elderly persons and the internet. Retrieve from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hy8WLLRUMyaEhSV_uLPxPenU2LHkNEQbiSmFfvEAV2E/edit#

Lewis, D., Eysenbach, G., Kukafka, R., Stavri, P, and Jimison, H. (2005). Consumer Health Informatics: Informing Consumers and Improving Health Care. Secaucus, NJ: Springer.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS, 2012, September 12). ONC's strategy for engaging consumers - 2012 consumer health IT summit. [Video file]. Retrieved April 07, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81SBwCENKnA