Digital Health Information Provided by Public Health Stakeholders on Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Systematic Evaluation

Abstract

In the federal state of Germany, Saxony-Anhalt, colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cause of death among cancer patients. In order to identify cancer precursors early, colorectal cancer screenings are essential. In this context, health information contributes to informing individuals and imparting them with necessary knowledge to make a decision about (non-)utilization of preventive services. Numerous public health stakeholders (e.g., statutory health insurances) provide health information. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of web-based health information offered by public health stakeholders in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. A systematic evaluation was used. A search was performed using pre-defined eligibility criteria and search terms. Two independent reviewers assessed the search results based on seven main categories (60 items) developed by the study team in line with the “Guideline Evidence-based Health Information”. In total, 37 materials from 16 different stakeholders were included and yielded a “mediocre quality” (median = 69%). The materials had only partially fulfilled the requirements of national recommendations for evidence-based health information. Access to digital health information regarding colon cancer screening was unsatisfactory, especially for individuals with auditory or visual impairments, due to use of inappropriate communication technologies. Further efforts are required to improve digital health information about colorectal cancer screening.

Service Quality and Related Factors in Primary Health Care Services: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Consequently, individuals can receive more convenient, cost-effective, and expedient services remotely, rather than having to visit a health facility. The use of digital applications and methods in health services is of great importance, as they enable disabled and elderly individuals who have difficulty accessing health services to do so and to benefit from them [18,84].…”

Who can help me? Understanding the antecedent and consequence of medical information seeking behavior in the era of bigdata

“…It is reasonable to assume that the informational support provided by their physicians might help patients to cope with and prevent information overload. Studies on the use of and preferences for information sources among health information seekers show that there is a discrepancy between the sources patients reported to have used (that is, the Internet) and the sources they preferred to use (that is, health care providers) ( 19 ). In line with this, our research suggests that it is better for professionals to provide more health related information to public and undertake the responsibility of patient education.…”

“…Receiving a high variety of information requires patients to identify the most useful parts related to their symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and so on ( 1 ). Unfortunately, it is difficult for patients with limited medical knowledge to filter the important information and separate it from noise ( 15 , 19 ). When new information continuously arrives and competes for limited processing resources, patients may experience strain in their capacity to process information ( 17 , 18 ).…”