The Digital Divide: A Comparison of Online Consumer Health Information for African-American and General Audiences

Beyond COVID-19: The State of Telehealth Equity and Best Practices in Underserved Populations

Telehealth is now a fundamental health approach to address health-related needs in a way that is consistent with the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) globally.

Safe infant sleep recommendations on the Internet: let's Google it

OBJECTIVES

To determine the accuracy of information on infant sleep safety on the Internet using Google. We hypothesized that the majority of Web sites would accurately reflect the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for infant sleep safety.

STUDY DESIGN

We searched for advice using 13 key phrases and analyzed the first 100 Web sites for each phrase. Web sites were categorized by type and assessed for accuracy of information provided, based on AAP recommendations. The accuracy of information was classified as "accurate," "inaccurate," or "not relevant."

RESULTS

Overall, 43.5% of the 1300 Web sites provided accurate information, 28.1% provided inaccurate information, and 28.4% were not relevant. The search terms "infant cigarette smoking," "infant sleep position," and "infant sleep surface" yielded the highest percentage of Web sites with accurate information. "Pacifier infant," "infant home monitors," and "infant co-sleeping" produced the lowest percentage of Web sites with accurate information. Government Web sites had the highest rate of accuracy; blogs, the lowest.

CONCLUSION

The Internet contains much information about infant sleep safety that is inconsistent with AAP recommendations. Health care providers should realize the extent to which parents may turn to the Internet for information about infant sleep safety.

Living kidney donors and their family caregivers: developing an evidence-based educational and social support website

CONTEXT

Although graft and patient survival rates for living kidney donation are improved, some healthcare providers question whether volunteer donors and their informal caregivers are fully informed of the donation process and the risks involved. Donors and their family caregivers have reported that they receive limited information about the predonation and donor recovery process. Offering web-based information and social support is one way to address this gap.

STRATEGY

Living kidney donor candidates and their family caregivers participating in the Living Donor Information Network for Caregiving (LINC) have access to a variety of online informational resources and a social support discussion forum throughout their living kidney donation experience. Strategies in the development and implementation of an online information and social-support resource are presented.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of the LINC website for information and support may assist health care providers in identifying potential barriers in the current donation process and provide direction for enhancing knowledge and confidence among donors and family caregivers.

Health-related information gathering practices in breast and colorectal specialty clinics: the end of the electronic divide?

BACKGROUND

Health-related information can help patients understand their disease process and make informed decisions. We hypothesize that with the increased availability of Web-based resources, sociodemographic factors no longer impact Internet use among patients.

METHODS

Study-specific surveys were administered to a convenience cohort of patients seen in the breast and colorectal specialty clinics at a single academic institution between August 2008 and February 2009.

RESULTS

One hundred ninety-four surveys were returned (response rate 80%). Median age was 53 years (range 19-88) with 131 (75%) females. Twenty-six percent of patients were college graduates and 59% reported an annual income greater than $50,000. There was no association between Internet use and age, gender, income, or educational level.

CONCLUSION

Web-based information is being increasingly used by patients irrespective of their demographic characteristics. These resources can therefore be used to educate patients about their disease, treatment options, and health maintenance.