skip to main content
10.1145/1882992.1883090acmotherconferencesArticle/Chapter ViewAbstractPublication PagesihiConference Proceedingsconference-collections
poster

Health information and decision-making preferences in the internet age: a pilot study using the health information wants (HIW) questionnaire

Authors Info & Claims
Published:11 November 2010Publication History

ABSTRACT

Recent paradigm shift in health care calls for more attention to patient preferences. The Health Information Wants (HIW) Questionnaire measures patients' preferences (desires) for health information and participation in decision-making. It has parallel items in seven corresponding areas of information and decision-making (diagnosis, treatment, laboratory test, self-care, complementary and alternative medicine, psychosocial, and health care provider). A pilot study was conducted to generate preliminary data about the psychometric property of this instrument, the relationships between information and decision-making preferences in each of the seven areas, and the relationships among Internet use, age, and preferences for each type of health information and decision-making. The results show that the HIW Questionnaire has strong reliability and validity. After controlling for gender, education, perception of severity, and health, the overall preferences for health information and decision-making were positively correlated. Multilevel modeling analysis results showed that age was negatively related to the overall preference ratings. The differences in decision-making preference ratings between young and older adults were greater than those in information preference ratings. Internet use frequency was not significantly related to preference ratings. The relationships examined varied across the seven subscales (e.g., on the diagnosis subscale, age was positively associated with diagnostic decision-making preferences). These findings have implications for a better understanding of patient preferences, patient-provider relationships, and the quality of health care.

References

  1. Ballard-Reisch, D. S. 1990. A model of participative decision making for physician-patient interaction. Health. Commun. 2 (Apr, 1990), 91--104.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  2. McNutt, R. A. 2004. Shared medical decision making: problems, process, progress. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 292 (Nov, 2004), 2516--2518.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  3. Charles, C., Gafni, A. and Whelan, T. 1997. Shared decision-making in the medical encounter: What does it mean? (Or it takes at least two to tango). Soc. Sci. Med. 44 (Mar, 1997), 681--692.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  4. Charles, C., Gafni, A. and Whelan, T. 1999. Decision-making in the physician-patient encounter: Revisiting the shared treatment decision-making model. Soc. Sci. Med. 49 (Sep, 1999), 651--661.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  5. Brody, D. S. 1980. The patient's role in clinical decision-making. Ann. Intern. Med. 93 (Nov, 1980), 718--722.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  6. Blumenthal, D. 2002. Doctors in a wired world: Can professionalism survive connectivity? Milbank. Q. 80 (Aug, 2002), 525--546.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  7. Gerber, B. S. and Eiser, A. R. 2001. The patient-physician relationship in the Internet age: future prospects and the research agenda. J. Med. Internet. Res. 3 (Apr, 2001), e15.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  8. Wald, H. S., Dube, C. E. and Anthony, D. C. 2007. Untangling the Web -- the impact of Internet use on health care and the physician-patient relationship. Patient. Educ. Couns. 68 (Nov, 2007), 218--224.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  9. Starr, P. 1982. The social transformation of American medicine. Basic Books, New York.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  10. Benbassat, J., Pilpel, D. and Tidhar, M. 1998. Patients' preferences for participation in clinical decision making: a review of published surveys. Behav. Med. 24 (Summer, 1998), 81--88.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  11. Ende, J., Kazis, L., Ash, A. and Moskowitz, M. A. 1989. Measuring patients' desire for autonomy: decision making and information-seeking preferences among medical patients. J. Gen. Internal. Med. 4 (Apr, 1989), 23--30.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  12. Bagley-Burnett, C. 2004. Measuring information-seeking behaviors and decision-making preferences. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, City.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  13. Xie, B. 2009. Older adults' health information wants in the Internet age: Implications for patient-provider relationships. J. Health. Commun. 14 (Sep, 2009), 510--524.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  14. Braman, A. C. and Gomez, R. G. 2004. Patient personality predicts preference for relationships with doctors. Pers. Indiv. Differ. 37 (Sep, 2004), 815--826.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  15. Krantz, D. S., Baum, A. and Wideman, M. V. 1980. Assessment of preferences for self-treatment and information in health care. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 39 (Nov, 1980), 977--990.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  16. Cassileth, B. R., Zupkis, R. V., Sutton-Smith, K. and March, V. 1980. Information and participation preferences among cancer patients. Ann. Intern. Med. 92 (June, 1980), 832--836.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  17. Galloway, S. C. and Graydon, J. E. 1996. Uncertainty, symptom distress, and information needs after surgery for cancer of the colon. Cancer. Nurs. 19 (Apr, 1996), 112--117.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  18. Galloway, S. C., Graydon, J. E., Harrison, D., Evans-Boyden, B., Palmer-Wickham, S., Burlein-Hall, S., Rich-van der Bij, L., West, P. and Blair, A. 1997. Informational needs of women with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer: Development and initial testing of a tool. J. Adv. Nurs. 25 (June, 1997), 1175--1183.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  19. Chalmers, K. I., Luker, K. A., Leinster, S., Ellis, I. and Booth, K. 2001. Information and support needs of women with primary relatives with breast cancer: Development of the information and support needs questionnaire (ISNQ). J. Adv. Nurs. 35 (Aug, 2001), 497--507.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  20. Beisecker, A. E. and Beisecker, T. D. 1990. Patient information-seeking behaviors when communicating with doctors. Med. Care. 28 (Jan, 1990), 19--28.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  21. Luker, K. A., Beaver, K., Leinster, S., Owens, R. G., Degner, L. F. and Sloan, J. A. 1995. The information needs of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. J. Adv. Nurs. 22 (July, 1995), 134--141.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  22. Degner, L. F. and Sloan, J. A. 1992. Decision making during serious illness: What role do patients really want to play? J. Clin. Epidemiol. 45 (Sep, 1992), 941--950.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  23. Lazarus, R. and Folkman, S. 1984. Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. Springer, New York.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  24. Johnson, J. E., Rich, V. H., Fuller, S. S. and Endress, M. 1978. Sensory information, instruction in a coping strategy, and recovery from surgery. Res. Nurs. Health, 1 (Mar, 1978), 4--17.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  25. Dodd, M. J. and Ahmed, N. 1987. Preference for type of information in cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. Cancer. Nurs. 10 (Oct, 1987), 244--251.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  26. Miller, S. M. 52. Monitoring and blunting: Validation of a questionnaire to assess styles of information seeking under threat. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 52 (Feb, 1987), 345--353.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  27. Schwartz, M. D., Lerman, C. and Miller, S. M. 1995. Coping disposition, perceived risk, and psychological distress among women at increased risk for ovarian cancer. Health. Psychol. 14 (May, 1995), 232--235.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  28. Fox, S. and Raine, L. Vital decisions: how Internet users decide what information to trust when they or their loved ones are sick. Plus a guide from the Medical Library Association about smart healthsearch strategies and good Web sites. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved on August 20, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2002/PIP_Vital_Decisions_May2002.pdf.pdf., Washington DC, 2002.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  29. Ziebland, S., Chapple, A., Dumelow, C., Evans, J., Prinjha, S. and Rozmovits, L. 2004. How the internet affects patients' experience of cancer: a qualitative study. Brit. Med. J. 328 (Mar, 2004), 564.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  30. Baker, L., Wagner, T. H., Singer, S. and Bundorf, M. K. 2003. Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information: results from a national survey. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 289 (May, 2003), 2400--2406.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  31. Fox, S. Online Health Search. PEW Internet & American Life. Retrieved March 16, 2007, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online_Health_2006.pdf, Washington D. C., 2006.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  32. Fox, S. Health Information Online. Pew Internet and American Life Project (available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Healthtopics_May05.pdf), Washington, DC, 2005.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  33. Fox, S. and Raine, L. The online health care revolution: how the Web helps Americans take better care of themselves. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2000/PIP_Health_Report.pdf.pdf, Washington DC, 2000.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  34. Dickerson, S., Reinhart, A. M., Feeley, T. H., Bidani, R., Rich, E., Garg, V. K. and Hershey, C. O. 2004. Patient Internet use for health information at three urban primary care clinics. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assn. 11 (Nov, 2004), 499--504.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  35. Rozmovits, L. and Ziebland, S. 2004. What do patients with prostate or breast cancer want from an Internet site? A qualitative study of information needs. Patient. Educ. Couns. 53 (Apr, 2004), 57--64.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  36. Kaiser Family Foundation. e-Health and the elderly: how seniors use the Internet for health information. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/e-Health-and-the-Elderly-How-Seniors-Use-the-Internet-for-Health-Information-Key-Findings-From-a-National-Survey-of-Older-Americans-Survey-Report.pdf, 2005.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  37. Fox, S. E-patients with a disability or chronic disease. PEW Internet & American Life. Retrieved August 20, 2009, from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2007/EPatients_Chronic_Conditions_2007.pdf.pdf., Washington DC, 2007.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  38. Campbell, R. J. Consumer health, patient education, and the Internet. The Internet Journal of Health, 2, 2 2001), Retrieved on August 20, 2009, from http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijhca/vol2002n2001/consumer.xml.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  39. Hardt, J. H. and Hollis-Sawyer, L. 2007. Older adults seeking healthcare information on the Internet. Educ. Gerontol. 33 (July, 2007), 561--572.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  40. Dickerson, S., Reinhart, A. M., Feeley, T. H., Bidani, R., Rich, E., Garg, V. K. and Hershey, C. O. 2004. Patient Internet use for health information at three urban primary care clinics. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assn. 11 (Nov, 2004), 499--504.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  41. Bass, S. B., Ruzek, S. B., Gordon, T. F., Fleisher, L., McKeown-Conn, N. and Moore, D. 2006. Relationship of Internet health information use with patient behavior and self-efficacy: experiences of newly diagnosed cancer patients who contact the National Cancer Institute's cancer information service. J. Health. Commun. 11 (Mar, 2006), 219--236.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  42. Flynn, K. E., Smith, M. A. and Freese, J. 2006. When do older adults turn to the Internet for health information? Findings from the Wisconsin longitudinal study. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 21 (Dec, 2006), 1295--1301.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  43. Maibach, E. W., Weber, D., Massett, H., Hancock, G. R. and Price, S. 2006. Understanding consumers' health information preferences: development and validation of a brief screening instrument. J. Health. Commun. 11 (Sep, 2006), 717--736.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  44. Hill, S. A. and Laugharne, R. 2006. Decision making and information seeking preferences among psychiatric patients. J. Ment. Health. 15 (Feb, 2006), 75--84.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  45. Finucane, M. L., Mertz, C. K., Slovic, P. and Scholze Schmidt, E. S. 2005. Task complexity and older adults' decision-making competence. Psychol. Aging. 20 (Mar, 2005), 71--84.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  46. Lockenhoff, C. E. and Carstensen, L. L. 2007. Aging, emotion, and health-related decision strategies: motivational manipulations can reduce age differences. Psychol. Aging. 22 (Mar, 2007), 134--146.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  47. Bylund, C. L., Sabee, C. M., Imes, R. S. and Sanford, A. A. 2007. Exploration of the construct of reliance among patients who talk with their providers about Internet information. J. Health. Commun. 12 (Jan, 2007), 17--28.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  48. Bundorf, M. K., Wagner, T. H., Singer, S. J. and Baker, L. C. 2006. Who searches the Internet for health information? Health. Serv. Res. 41 (June 2006), 819--836.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  49. Xie, B. 2008. Older adults, health information, and the Internet. ACM Interactions. 15 (2008), 44--46. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  50. Bryk, A. S. and Raudenbush, S. W. 1992. Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Sage, Newbury Park.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  51. Cronbach, L. J. 1951. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297--334.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar

Index Terms

  1. Health information and decision-making preferences in the internet age: a pilot study using the health information wants (HIW) questionnaire

      Recommendations

      Comments

      Login options

      Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

      Sign in
      • Published in

        cover image ACM Other conferences
        IHI '10: Proceedings of the 1st ACM International Health Informatics Symposium
        November 2010
        886 pages
        ISBN:9781450300308
        DOI:10.1145/1882992

        Copyright © 2010 ACM

        Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

        Publisher

        Association for Computing Machinery

        New York, NY, United States

        Publication History

        • Published: 11 November 2010

        Permissions

        Request permissions about this article.

        Request Permissions

        Check for updates

        Qualifiers

        • poster

      PDF Format

      View or Download as a PDF file.

      PDF

      eReader

      View online with eReader.

      eReader