Is doctor-patient relationship influenced by health online information?

Mota, Luciana Rodrigues Alves da; Ferreira, Carolina Cavalcanti Gonçalves; Neto, Henrique Augusto Alves da Costa; Falbo, Ana Rodrigues; Lorena, Suélem de Barros

doi:10.1590/1806-9282.64.08.692

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, 25.6% indicated that it had negative impacts, while 42.6% chose a neutral response, indicating that they perceive it as having no significant impact on the physician-patient relationship either way [ 42 ]. In alignment with these 2 studies, the proportion of physicians with varying perceptions do not show significant differences across other survey studies from the Middle East, South America, and Europe [ 38 , 48 - 50 ]. Overall, most physicians hold neutral perceptions.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 67%

Physician Perspectives on Internet-Informed Patients: Systematic Review

Lu,

Schulz

2024

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The internet has become a prevalent source of health information for patients. However, its accuracy and relevance are often questionable. While patients seek physicians’ expertise in interpreting internet health information, physicians’ perspectives on patients’ information-seeking behavior are less explored. Objective This review aims to understand physicians’ perceptions of patients’ internet health information-seeking behavior as well as their communication strategies and the challenges and needs they face with internet-informed patients. Methods An initial search in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, and PsycINFO was conducted to collect studies published from January 1990 to August 1, 2022. A subsequent search on December 24, 2023, targeted recent studies published after the initial search cutoff date. Two reviewers independently performed title, abstract, and full-text screening, adhering to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement guidelines. Thematic analysis was then used to identify key themes and systematically categorize evidence from both qualitative and quantitative studies under these themes. Results A total of 22 qualifying articles were identified after the search and screening process. Physicians were found to hold diverse views on patients’ internet searches, which can be viewed as a continuous spectrum of opinions ranging from positive to negative. While some physicians leaned distinctly toward either positive or negative perspectives, a significant number expressed more balanced views. These physicians recognized both the benefits, such as increased patient health knowledge and informed decision-making, and the potential harms, including misinformation and the triggering of negative emotions, such as patient anxiety or confusion, associated with patients’ internet health information seeking. Two communicative strategies were identified: the participative and defensive approaches. While the former seeks to guide internet-informed patients to use internet information with physicians’ expertise, the latter aims to discourage patients from using the internet to seek health information. Physicians’ perceptions were linked to their strategies: those holding positive views tended to adopt a participative approach, while those with negative views favored a defensive strategy. Some physicians claimed to shift between the 2 approaches depending on their interaction with a certain patient. We also identified several challenges and needs of physicians in dealing with internet-informed patients, including the time pressure to address internet-informed patient demands, a lack of structured training, and being uninformed about trustworthy internet sites that can be recommended to internet-informed patients. Conclusions This review highlights the diverse perceptions that physicians hold toward internet-informed patients, as well as the interplay between their perceptions, communication strategies, and their interactions with individual patients. Incorporating elements into the medical teaching curriculum that introduce physicians to reliable internet health resources for patient guidance, coupled with providing updates on technological advancements, could be instrumental in equipping physicians to more effectively manage internet-informed patients. Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42022356317; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=356317

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 67%

Physician Perspectives on Internet-Informed Patients: Systematic Review

Lu,

Schulz

2024

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The health information acquired by patients from daily life may exert both positive and negative effects on the physician-patient relationship. Positive effects are generated when the obtained health information strengthens the confidence of patients in their physicians, encourages patients to make suitable choices and decisions, improves their understanding of their health status, and enhances the physician-patient relationship [25, 26]. However, some patients seek health information because they are dissatisfied or discontented with their physicians.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, some patients seek health information because they are dissatisfied or discontented with their physicians. In addition, some physicians believe that their patients cannot assess the reliability of health information, and a minority of physicians may object to their patients seeking other information because they feel challenged, resulting in physician hostility, low healthcare quality, anxiety, and frustration among patients [26, 27]. A previous survey [27] indicated that physicians generally admitted that health information can significantly help improve patients’ health; however, 40% of physicians worried that such health information might adversely affect the physician-patient relationship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why do patients follow physicians’ advice? The influence of patients’ regulatory focus on adherence: an empirical study in China

Zhang

et al. 2019

BMC Health Serv Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In general, medical regimens and treatments are more likely to be effective if patients follow their physicians’ advice. However, limited studies have focused on the relationship between regulatory focus and patient adherence. This study explores the antecedents of patient adherence employing regulatory focus theory. Methods This study established a research model consisting of two independent variables, two mediators, one dependent variable, two moderators, three control variables, and six hypotheses. An online survey involving 336 valid responses was conducted to collect data in China. We used structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis to test the hypotheses and to develop the research model. Results The reliability and validity of the measures were accepted. In terms of control variables, age had a positive effect on conservative treatment-related health information seeking behaviour, and patients with different resident statuses held different attitudes towards seeking conservative treatment-related health information. However, educational level did not have any effect on the variables of the research model. The hypothesis testing results corroborate that promotion focus had a positive impact on patients’ emerging treatment-related health information seeking behaviour; prevention focus had a positive impact on patients’ conservative treatment-related health information seeking behaviour, which had a positive impact on patient adherence. In addition, media campaigns had a positive impact on the relationship between promotion focus and emerging treatment-related health information seeking behaviour, and website reputation had a positive impact on the relationship between prevention focus and conservative treatment-related health information seeking behaviour. Conclusions Individuals can be encouraged to seek health information and share health-related knowledge through mass media, such as the Internet, when the quality of information, especially information from online sources, is guaranteed. In addition, physicians need to improve their professionalism and expand their knowledge of conservative healthcare. As a further application of our work, an Internet information recommendation system can be designed to recommend different types of health information for users according to their regulatory focus. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4127-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…However, studies have reported that some patients self-medicate because their relationship with physicians has been affected by factors like the extended availability of medical information online and successful medical experiences that make patients more confident in their own opinion. 29 , 30 Others think that physicians do not take their health needs seriously, and only provide mild treatments. 31 The results here suggest that the physician’s advice is still valued when making rational decisions about using antibiotics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preferences based interventions to address the use of antibiotics without prescription: a discrete choice experiment

Aponte-González

Brown

Eslava-Schmalbach

2021

Pharm Pract (Granada)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: In many countries, concerns have arisen over the population using antibiotics without consulting a physician. This practice can place patients at risk and increase antibiotic resistance in the community. Objective: To evaluate individuals' preferences regarding the use of antibiotics. The study also assessed the likely effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing inappropriate use of antibiotics. Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted in Bogotá, Colombia. The attributes were determined by a systematic literature review and four focus group sessions. The DCE included nine factors – cost, time to get attention, level of symptoms, efficacy, safety, among others- and one label -using or not antibiotics. Data analysis was carried out using a generalized multinomial logit (GMNL) model. Marginal probabilities of different sets of attributes' levels were compared to estimate the likely effectiveness of interventions. Results: The survey was administered to 222 participants from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The results suggest that participants preferred not taking antibiotics and having a physician as an advisor, but the probability of inappropriate antibiotic use increased as the waiting time or the cost of receiving advice rose. The pharmacy was the preferred source of antibiotics, and participants chose the pharmacy worker (nonprofessional) as an advisor over the nurse on the phone. In the absence of any interventions aimed at reducing the use of antibiotics, approximately 47.3% of people would misuse antibiotics. This reduces to 26.5% when people perceive the efficacy of the antibiotics as low and the potential risks of self-medicating as high. An alternative model using a nursing service would likely lower inappropriate use of antibiotics. Conclusions: Even though people prefer not using antibiotics or visiting a physician in case of disease rather than self-medicating, current access conditions might discourage them from appropriately use antibiotics. The results suggest that interventions that informing people about the risks of self-medication and the low efficacy might significantly reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics. Our results also suggest that programs that empower other health professionals to provide access to antibiotics would likely further lower inappropriate use.

show abstract

Is doctor-patient relationship influenced by health online information?

Cited by 11 publications

References 17 publications

Physician Perspectives on Internet-Informed Patients: Systematic Review

Physician Perspectives on Internet-Informed Patients: Systematic Review

Why do patients follow physicians’ advice? The influence of patients’ regulatory focus on adherence: an empirical study in China

Preferences based interventions to address the use of antibiotics without prescription: a discrete choice experiment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About