Accessing Reliable Health Information On The Internet

Authors

Nathaniel Sugiyama ,MS3, UVM College of MedicineFollow

Files

Date

2016

Abstract

In a low socioeconomic farming town at a rural family medicine clinic in upstate NY, I wanted to find a way to help reduce barriers to healthcare and help patients take an active role in their health using free internet resources. My idea was to help connect patients with reliable health information without needing to travel to the clinic, understanding that some patients may be limited in their ability to travel, take time off from work or afford the copays/expenses associated with seeing their providers. As such, I chose to investigate access to the internet, the ways in which users accessed the health information online, how patients liked to get their health information and their perceived barriers regarding using the internet to find reliable health information.

After analyzing survey results, I found that 90% of surveyed patients had internet access, 80% had 1 or more concerns regarding the use of the internet to find reliable health information, and 46% of surveyed patients would be interested in an informational packet that that included a list of suggested electronic resources which they could use to access reliable health information, if it were available. With this information, I decided to act on my survey data and produce a 20 page pamphlet covering a broad range of health related topics from mental health, general health, and mobile health, to patient assistance programs to help patients pay for their medications.

Clinical Site

North Country Family Health (Champlain, NY) - Hudson Headwaters Health Network

Keywords

Internet, Health Information, Finding Reliable Health Information, Technology, Delay In Care, Searching Online

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Environmental Public Health | Medical Education | Online and Distance Education | Primary Care | Public Health Education and Promotion | Technology and Innovation

Recommended Citation

Sugiyama, Nathaniel ,MS3, "Accessing Reliable Health Information On The Internet" (2016). Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects. 192.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/192