Advanced Biomedical Research

How health information is received by diabetic patients?

Authors

1 Social Determinants of Health Research Center; Department of Medical Librarianship and Information Science in School of Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Medical Librarianship and Information Science in School of Management and Medical Informatics, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: Knowledge of correct information-seeking behavior by the patients can provide health specialists and health information specialists with valuable information in improving health care. This study aimed to investigate the passive receipt and active seeking of health information by diabetic patients.
Materials and Methods: A survey method was used in this research on 6426 diabetic patients of whom 362 patients were selected by a no percentage stratified random sampling. The Longo information-seeking behavior questionnaire was used to collect data and they were analyzed by SPSS 20 software.
Results: The most common information source by diabetic patients was practitioners (3.12). The minimum usage among the information sources were from charity organizations and emergency phone lines with a usage of close to zero. The amount of health information gained passively from each source has the lowest average of 4.18 and usage of this information in making health decision has the highest average score of 5.83. Analysis of the data related to active seeking of information showed that knowledge of available medical information from each source has the lowest average score of 3.95 and ability in using the acquired information for making medical decisions has the highest average score of 5.28. The paired t-test showed that differences between passive information receipt (41.68) and active information seeking (39.20) considered as statistically significant (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Because diabetic patients are more passive information receivers than active information seekers, the health information must be distributed by passive means to these patients. In addition, information-seeking behavior during different time periods should be investigated; to identify more effective distribution of health information.

Keywords

1.
Shabani A, Cheshme Sohrabi M. Information Science and Information Society. Tehran: Chapar Publication; 2007. p. 42.  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.
Akhu-Zaheya LM. Factors Influencing Health Information-seeking Behavior of Jordanian Patients with Cancer .Buffalo: University of New York; 2007. p. 25.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.
Noukarizi M, Davarpanah MR. Analysis of the models of information seeking behavior. Libr Inform Sci 2006;9:119-52.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4.
Horri A (editor). Information Seeking Behavior: Library and Information Science Encyclopedia. Tehran: National Library of Islamic Republic of Iran; 2002. p. 918-9.   Back to cited text no. 4
    
5.
Aaronson LS, Mural CM, Pfoutz SK. Seeking information: Where do pregnant women go? Health Educ Q 1988;15:335-45.  Back to cited text no. 5
    
6.
Allen S. Development and Validation of A Suvey Instrument to Assess Health Information Seeking Behaviors Among African American Young Professionals. Alabama: University of Alabama; 2013. p. 45.  Back to cited text no. 6
    
7.
Weaver JB 3 rd , Mays D, Weaver SS, Hopkins GL, Eroglu D, Bernhardt JM. Health information-seeking behaviors, health indicators, and health risks. Am J Public Health 2010;100:1520-5.  Back to cited text no. 7
    
8.
Longo DR, Schubert SL, Wright BA, LeMaster J, Williams CD, Clore JN. Health information seeking, receipt, and use in diabetes self-management. Ann Fam Med 2010;8:334-40.  Back to cited text no. 8
    
9.
Alavinia M, Ghotbi M, Mahdavi Hezave A, Kermanchi J, Nasli Esfahani A, Yarahmadi S. National Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes Type II: Implementation in Urban Areas. Tehran: Sepidbarg; 2012. p. 34.  Back to cited text no. 9
    
10.
Freimuth V, Stein J, Kean T. Searching for Health Information: The Cancer Information Service. U.S.A.: Library of Congress; 1998. p. 54.  Back to cited text no. 10
    
11.
Abazari P, Vanaki Z, Mohammadi E, Amini M. Inadequate investment on management of diabetes education. J Res Med Sci 2012;17:792-8.  Back to cited text no. 11
[PUBMED]  Medknow Journal  
12.
Milewski J, Chen Y. Barriers of obtaining health information among diabetes patients. Stud Health Technol Inform 2010;160:18-22.  Back to cited text no. 12
    
13.
Tol A, Sharifirad Gh, Eslami A, Shojaeizade D, Alhani F, Mohajeritehrani M. Analysis of some predicting factors of quality of life among patients with type 2 diabetes. Health Sys Res 2011;7:829-36.  Back to cited text no. 13
    
14.
Lenz ER. Information seeking: A component of client decisions and health behavior. ANS Adv Nurs Sci 1984;6:59-72.  Back to cited text no. 14
    
15.
Kramer TH, Cancellieri FR, Ottomanelli G, Mosely JA, Fine J, Bihari B. A behavioral measure of AIDS information seeking by drug and alcohol in patients. J Subst Abuse Treat 1989;6:83-5.  Back to cited text no. 15
    
16.
Andreassen S, Randers I, Näslund E, Stockeld D, Mattiasson AC. Family members' experiences, information needs and information seeking in relation to living with a patient with oesophageal cancer. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) 2005;14:426-34.  Back to cited text no. 16
    
17.
Eggly S, Penner LA, Greene M, Harper FW, Ruckdeschel JC, Albrecht TL. Information seeking during "Bad news" oncology interactions: Question asking by patients and their companions. Soc Sci Med 2006;63:2974-85.  Back to cited text no. 17
    
18.
McCaughan E, McKenna H. Never-ending making sense: Towards a substantive theory of the information-seeking behaviour of newly diagnosed cancer patients. J Clin Nurs 2007;6:2096-104.  Back to cited text no. 18
    
19.
Evans M, Shaw A, Thompson EA, Falk S, Turton P, Thompson T, et al. Decisions to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by male cancer patients: Information-seeking roles and types of evidence used. BMC Complement Altern Med 2007;7:25.  Back to cited text no. 19
    
20.
Longo DR, Ge B, Radina ME, Greiner A, Williams CD, Longo GS, et al. Understanding breast-cancer patients' perceptions: Health information-seeking behaviour and passive information receipt. Journal of Communication in Healthcare 2009 2:148- 206.  Back to cited text no. 20
    
21.
Gray SW, Armstrong K, Demichele A, Schwartz JS, Hornik RC. Colon cancer patient information seeking and the adoption of targeted therapy for on-label and off-label indications. Cancer 2009;115:1424-34.  Back to cited text no. 21
    
22.
Shaw S. Trying to Take Control while Attempting to Adapt: Perspectives of People with Multiple Sclerosis on the Twelve Months Following Diagnosis. Swinburne: Swinburne University of Technology; 2007. p. 67.  Back to cited text no. 22
    
23.
Ellis J, Mullan J, Worsley A, Pai N. The role of health literacy and social networks in arthritis patients' health information-seeking behavior: A qualitative study. Int J Family Med 2012;2012:397039.  Back to cited text no. 23
    
24.
Muusses LD, van Weert JC, van Dulmen S, Jansen J. Chemotherapy and information-seeking behaviour: Characteristics of patients using mass-media information sources. Psychooncology 2012;21:993-1002.  Back to cited text no. 24
    
25.
Moreland J, French T, Cumming G. Online Health Information Seeking: A Survey of Patient Attitudes. UK, London: Oxford; 2013. p. 53.  Back to cited text no. 25
    
26.
Wang M, Viswanath K, Lam TH, Wang X, Chan SS. Social determiniants of health information seeking among chinese adults in Hong Kong. PLoS One 2013;8:e73049.  Back to cited text no. 26
    
27.
Sasaki E, Quinn A, Cullen W, Leddin D, Dunne C, O'Gorman CS. Paediatric diabetes: Information-seeking behaviours of families. Ir Med J 2014;107:87-8.  Back to cited text no. 27
    
28.
Zamani M. Information Seeking Behavior of Cardio - Vascular Patients Hospitalized at Hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Isfahan: Isfahan University of Medical Sciences; 2012. p. 71.   Back to cited text no. 28
    
29.
Gavgani VZ, Qeisari E, Jafarabadi MA. Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB): A Study of a Developing Country. Library Philosophy and Practice. Available from: http://www.digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/902/. [Last accessed on 2014 Mar 23].  Back to cited text no. 29
    
30.
Yarahmadi A, ZareFarashbandi F, Kachouei A, Nouri R, Hassanzadeh A. Effects of non-attendance information therapy on the control of glycosylated hemoglobin (Hba1C) in type 2 diabetic patients. J Educ Health Promot 2014. [In Press].  Back to cited text no. 30
    
31.
Habibi S, Farzi J, Lotfallahzade R. General physitions information seeking behavior in Ardabil and their approach towards electronic sources. J Ardabil Univ Med Sci 2008;8:136-41.  Back to cited text no. 31
    
32.
Samanian M. Analysis of Bojnourd city physicians information seeking. Faslnameh Ketab 2008;10:89-100.  Back to cited text no. 32
    
33.
Kiani H, Niknam M, Pishvaei F. The Information seeking behavior of faculty members of Yazd University of Medical Sciences. National Studies on Librarianship and Information Organization. 2013; 23:120-34.  Back to cited text no. 33
    
34.
Borgers R, Mullen PD, Meertens R, Rijken M, Eussen G, Plagge I, et al. The information-seeking behavior of cancer outpatients: A discription of the situation. Patient Educ Couns 1993;22:35-46.  Back to cited text no. 34
    
35.
Carlsson ME. Cancer patients seeking information from sources outside the health care system: Change over a decade. Eur J Oncol Nurs 2009;13:304-5.  Back to cited text no. 35
    
36.
Kaphingst KA, Lachance CR, Condit CM. Beliefs about heritability of cancer and health information seeking and preventive behaviors. J Cancer Educ 2009;24:351-6.  Back to cited text no. 36
    
37.
Kim K, Kwon N. Racial differences in source awareness, trust, selection and information competence among cancer patients who sought cancer information: A preliminary analysis of HINTS 2007. P Am Soc Inform Sci Technol 2009;46:1-8.  Back to cited text no. 37
    
38.
Nagler RH, Gray SW, Romantan A, Kelly BJ, DeMichele A, Armstrong K, et al. Differences in information seeking among breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer patients: Results from a population-based survey. Patient Educ Couns 2010;81(Suppl):S54-62.  Back to cited text no. 38
    
39.
Smith-McLallen A, Fishbein M, Hornik RC. Psychosocial determinants of cancer-related information seeking among cancer patients. J Health Commun 2011;16:212-25.  Back to cited text no. 39
    
40.
Delavari A, Mahdavihezave A, Nouroozinejad A, Yarahmadi S. Laboratory Technician and Diabetes. Tehran: Sound Publishing Center; 2004. p. 32.   Back to cited text no. 40
    
41.
Iran Diabetes Society. Diabetes: World Threatening Diseases. Available from: http://www.ir-diabetes-society.com/Diabet-imp-1391.htm. [last accessed on 2013 May 12].   Back to cited text no. 41
    
42.
Booger ER, Ali Besharat M, Mohajeri-Tehrani M, Talepasand S. Predictive role of self- efficacy, belief of treatment effectiveness and social support in diabetes mellitus self- management. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology 2011;17:233-40.   Back to cited text no. 42
    
43.
Komlodi A, Carlin M. Identifying Cultural Variables in Information-seeking Behaviour. New York, NY: Association for Information Systems; 2004. p. 477-81.  Back to cited text no. 43
Advanced Biomedical Research
Volume 2015, june
June 2015
Pages 1-8