Searching for Health: Doctor Google and the Shifting Dynamics of the Middle-Aged and Older Adult Patient-Physician Relationship and Interaction

Googling and health anxiety in older age-A case study of CBT incorporating a single case experimental design

The use of online search engines to "google" health-related information is common in health anxiety, and requires careful consideration within psychological treatment. Its nature in older adult populations is less closely understood. This report demonstrates the reduction in googling frequency using cognitive-behavioral therapy in an 83-year-old female with health anxiety.

Relevance of meeting general outpatients' information needs to their perceptions of healthcare quality in a hospital in Ghana: a Healthcare Quality Survey using modified SERVQUAL analysis

BACKGROUND

Patients determine quality of healthcare by their perception of the gap between the healthcare they experience/receive and that which they expect. This can be influenced by the ability of healthcare staff to adequately communicate information about the healthcare provided. This study assessed the level of relevance of meeting patients' information needs with respect to their assessment of healthcare quality in a private hospital's general outpatient department in Ghana.

DESIGN

Study design was cross-sectional using exit self-administered questionnaires among 390 outpatients. Healthcare quality was measured using a modified form of the Service Quality model gap analysis (gap between experience and expectations). A negative gap signifies unmet patient expectations. Microsoft Excel and Stata V.15.0 were used for analysis using t-test and multiple linear regression. A p value ≤0.05 denotes statistical significance.

FINDINGS

The mean percentage of patients' expectations of quality of healthcare was 87.6% (SE 0.031), while patient experience was 86.0% (SE 0.029), with a significant negative gap of -0.08 (p<0.002). Their highest expectation of the quality of healthcare was for their information needs to be met, with a mean score of 4.44 (SE 0.03). Two of the four items under the information needs dimension that showed no statistically significant gaps were 'saying all their problems' (gap=0.00; p<0.9) and 'explanation of treatment/medications' (gap=0.01; p<0.6). Those with statistically significant negative gaps were 'explanation of investigations and procedures' (gap=-0.18; p<0.0001) and 'explanation of the diagnoses' (gap=-0.11; p<0.02), signifying unmet expectations.

CONCLUSIONS

The outpatient's greatest need for quality healthcare in this study was for their information needs to be met. Providing information on patient diagnoses and investigations are the areas least likely to be adequately communicated to patients.

Are They Important? Patients' Communication Barriers to Discussing Online Health Information During Consultations

A minority of the patients who search for online health information report discussing or having an intention to discuss this information with their healthcare provider. Not discussing online health information inhibits the provision of patient-centered care and limits the healthcare provider's possibility to tackle misinformation. Within the confines of the linguistic model of patient participation, we first provide an overview of barriers to discussing online health information during consultations. Second, we pinpoint which of these barriers indicate a need for improvement. Participants from the Netherlands (N = 300) completed a survey that measured the communication barriers (N = 15) as identified based on previous literature and interviews. Using the QUality Of Care Through the patient's Eyes (QUOTE) approach, we measured the extent to which a specific factor was a barrier ("importance") and assessed whether the barrier would withhold patients from discussing online health information ("performance"). Scores on importance and performance were multiplied to identify which barriers show the most significant room for improvement. Especially "preferring to discuss other matters" often occurred. Nine barriers showed a moderate need for improvement. We discuss the implications of these findings for healthcare providers in consultations. Future research should include observational data to analyze communication barriers to discussing online health information in consultations.

Evaluation of Patient Education Materials From Large-Language Artificial Intelligence Models on Carpal Tunnel Release

BACKGROUND

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence technology, has the potential to be a useful patient aid, though the accuracy and appropriateness of its responses and recommendations on common hand surgical pathologies and procedures must be understood. Comparing the sources referenced and characteristics of responses from ChatGPT and an established search engine (Google) on carpal tunnel surgery will allow for an understanding of the utility of ChatGPT for patient education.

METHODS

A Google search of "carpal tunnel release surgery" was performed and "frequently asked questions (FAQs)" were recorded with their answer and source. ChatGPT was then asked to provide answers to the Google FAQs. The FAQs were compared, and answer content was compared using word count, readability analyses, and content source.

RESULTS

There was 40% concordance among questions asked by the programs. Google answered each question with one source per answer, whereas ChatGPT's answers were created from two sources per answer. ChatGPT's answers were significantly longer than Google's and multiple readability analysis algorithms found ChatGPT responses to be statistically significantly more difficult to read and at a higher grade level than Google's. ChatGPT always recommended "contacting your surgeon."

CONCLUSION

A comparison of ChatGPT's responses to Google's FAQ responses revealed that ChatGPT's answers were more in-depth, from multiple sources, and from a higher proportion of academic Web sites. However, ChatGPT answers were found to be more difficult to understand. Further study is needed to understand if the differences in the responses between programs correlate to a difference in patient comprehension.

Navigating online health information: Insights into consumer influence and decision-making strategies-An overview of reviews

Objective

Communities' use of technology and the internet for online health information (OHI) is increasing exponentially. An understanding of how and why individuals access OHI, and how this information influences decisions on health, medicines and self-care practices is critical. This review aims to: (1) identify the factors influencing OHI-seeking behaviour; (2) evaluate the evidence of OHI on self-care practices; and (3) outline strategies to improve online informed decision-making and assess the impact of these strategies on consumer outcomes.

Methods

A review of systematic reviews was conducted in November of 2023, following the Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA guidelines, and using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCOhost databases. The methodological quality of retrieved reviews was appraised using the AMSTAR 2 tool.

Results

The search retrieved 1725 records. Of these, 943 were screened, and 33 were included in the final analysis. The most frequently identified reasons for seeking OHI were to retrieve diagnostic and treatment information, and well-being and emotional support. Level of education and socio-economic status influenced OHI-seeking. OHI directly influenced self-care decision-making by individuals and their relationships and communication with healthcare providers. Overall, OHI-seeking (and interventions to promote the use of OHI) enhanced individuals' confidence, skills and knowledge.

Conclusions

The findings highlight the benefits of OHI-seeking and its potential influence on self-care decisions. Future research should focus on strategies that would promote the pursuit of high-quality, up-to-date OHI and on the development of interventions for healthcare professionals to improve patients' use of OHI in self-care and self-efficacy.

Perceptions and practices of self-management among adult patients with gout at a primary care clinic: A qualitative study

Introduction

Gout is a chronic disease commonly associated with other comorbidities. Patients' perceived quality of life empowers them in managing their health. Self-management is imparted as part of management among patients with chronic disease. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and practices of self-management among patients with gout from different ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted among Malay, Chinese and Indian patients with gout via semi-structured in-depth interviews at the primary care clinic of University Malaya Medical Centre in either English or Malay language. All participants had a gout duration of more than 6 months and were either taking urate-lowering drugs or not using them at all.

Results

A total of 20 participants were successfully recruited for the study. Among the participants, 18 were men, while two were women. Further, nine were Malays; six, Chinese; and four, Indians. The age ranged from 29 to 81 years, while the gout duration ranged from 1 to 30 years. From the interviews, three themes emerged: experiences with gout, types of self-management of gout and factors influencing self-management of gout.

Conclusion

Diet control is the main self-management practice of patients with gout. Traditional medicine practices include natural methods such as consumption of different types of vegetable juices, pineapple and papaya. Each ethnicity has its own unique beliefs and food cultures. By understanding the self-management practices of patients from diverse ethnic backgrounds, healthcare practitioners can tailor the treatment of gout to individual needs.

Patients' requests for radiological imaging: A qualitative study on general practitioners' perspectives

BACKGROUND

With the increasing availability of information, patients are becoming more informed about radiology procedures and requesting imaging studies. This qualitative study aims to explore factors that influence general practitioners' (GPs) decisions to fulfil patient requests for imaging studies during clinical consultation.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 GPs working across five private medical centres in Northwest Sydney. Conventional content analysis was used with emergent themes to identify GPs perspectives.

RESULTS

Six themes stood out from the interviews with GPs fulfilling patient requests for imaging studies. They included four pertaining to patient factors: patient expectations, 'therapeutic scans', 'impressive labels' and entitled. Two further themes pertained to the GP perspective and included defensive medicine, and 'new patients'. Requests are fulfilled from anxious or health-obsessed patients, with GPs worrying about litigation if they refuse. However, GPs decline requests from patients with entitlement attitudes or during first visits.

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest that GPs struggle to balance their responsibilities as gatekeepers of imaging with patients' expectations of request fulfilment. Clear guidelines on the appropriate use of diagnostic imaging and its limitations could help patients understand its proper use and ease anxiety. Additionally, education and training for GPs could help them manage patient expectations and provide appropriate care.

PATIENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Patients, service users, caregivers, people with lived experiences or members of the public were not directly involved in the design, conduct, analysis or interpretation of the study. However, our study was conducted in primary care facilities where the GPs were interviewed about patients' requests for diagnostic imaging based on their own initiatives. GPs' perspectives in managing patient expectations and healthcare utilisation were explored within the Australian Medicare system, where medical imaging and image-guided procedures come at little to no cost to the individual. The study findings contribute to a better understanding of the challenges faced by GPs in dealing with patient consumerism and requests for diagnostic imaging, as well as factors influencing request fulfilment or denial. Insights gained from this study may inform future research about delivering patient-centred care within a similar context.

And they slept happily ever after: Online interpretive repertoires on the use of benzodiazepines and z-drugs

Drawing on a critical social-psychological framework for discourse analysis, data from a popular forum for people over 50 were analysed to study how the habitual use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (BZD/Z) is discursively negotiated by Flemish older adults. We present five different repertoires (risk and addiction; alternative pathways; suffering; rationalisation; cessation) that illustrate how a pharmaceutical imaginary of these medications is constructed online and how posters act as reflexive users taking on a health role. Most repertoires emerge from a tacit norm on the undesirability of medication use for sleeping problems. In the alternative pathways and cessation repertoires this norm is implicitly accepted by focussing on how to either prevent or overcome chronic use with various alternative solutions or through tapering off, while the risk and addiction repertoire is used to more openly defend and discursively magnify the idea that medication has to be avoided at all cost. We discuss how this reflects a prevailing imperative of health and ethos of healthicisation of sleep. The rationalisation and suffering repertoires on the other hand challenge this norm by defending medication use. We further explore how these repertoires are used to self-position as either 'noble non-user', 'deserving and/or compliant patient' or 'rational user', reflecting previously found moral positions in offline settings. Our data add another position that has thus far not been discussed extensively with regard to prescription medication use, namely that of a 'recovered user'. As such, this study shows how this particular online community is a site for contestation of health promotion and medical/pharmaceuticalised discourses on sleep by users and non-users alike and offers a unique insight into how people in the age group that is known to use most BZD/Z discursively negotiate the use of these medications in pseudonymised online interactions.

Patient perspectives on data sharing regarding implementing and using artificial intelligence in general practice - a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Due to more elderly and patients with complex illnesses, there is an increasing pressure on the healthcare system. General practice especially feels this pressure as being the first point of contact for the patients. Developments in digitalization have undergone fast progress and data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) has shown great potential for use in general practice. To develop AI as a support tool for general practitioners (GPs), access to patients' health data is needed, but patients have concerns regarding data sharing. Furthermore, studies show that trust is important regarding the patient-GP relationship, data sharing, and AI. The aim of this paper is to uncover patient perspectives on trust regarding the patient-GP relationship, data sharing and AI in general practice.

METHOD

This study investigated 10 patients' perspectives through qualitative interviews and written vignettes were chosen to elicit the patients (interviewees) perspectives on topics that they were not familiar with prior to the interviews. The study specifically investigated perspectives on 1) The patient-GP relationship, 2) data sharing regarding developing AI for general practice, and 3) implementation and use of AI in general practice using thematic analysis. The study took place in the North Denmark Region and the interviewees included had to be registered in general practice and be above 18 years in age. We included four men between 25 to 74 years in age and six women between 27 to 46 years in age.

RESULTS

The interviewees expressed a high level of trust towards their GP and were willing to share their health data with their GP. The interviewees believed that AI could be a great help to GPs if used as a support tool in general practice. However, it was important for the interviewees that the GP would still be the primary decision maker.

CONCLUSION

Patients may be willing to share health data to help implement and use AI in general practice. If AI is implemented in a way that preserves the patient-GP relationship and used as a support tool for the GP, our results indicate that patients may be positive towards the use of AI in general practice.

Dr. Google: Physicians-The Web-Patients Triangle: Digital Skills and Attitudes towards e-Health Solutions among Physicians in South Eastern Poland-A Cross-Sectional Study in a Pre-COVID-19 Era

The investment in digital e-health services is a priority direction in the development of global healthcare systems. While people are increasingly using the Web for health information, it is not entirely clear what physicians' attitudes are towards digital transformation, as well as the acceptance of new technologies in healthcare. The aim of this cross-sectional survey study was to investigate physicians' self-digital skills and their opinions on obtaining online health knowledge by patients, as well as the recognition of physicians' attitudes towards e-health solutions. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to emerge the variables from self-designed questionnaire and cross-sectional analysis, comparing descriptive statistics and correlations for dependent variables using the one-way ANOVA (F-test). A total of 307 physicians participated in the study, reported as using the internet mainly several times a day (66.8%). Most participants (70.4%) were familiar with new technologies and rated their e-health literacy high, although 84.0% reported the need for additional training in this field and reported a need to introduce a larger number of subjects shaping digital skills (75.9%). 53.4% of physicians perceived Internet-sourced information as sometimes reliable and, in general, assessed the effects of its use by their patients negatively (41.7%). Digital skills increased significantly with frequency of internet use (F = 13.167; p = 0.0001) and decreased with physicians' age and the need for training. Those who claimed that patients often experienced health benefits from online health showed higher digital skills (-1.06). Physicians most often recommended their patients to obtain laboratory test results online (32.2%) and to arrange medical appointments via the Internet (27.0%). Along with the deterioration of physicians' digital skills, the recommendation of e-health solutions decreased (r = 0.413) and lowered the assessment of e-health solutions for the patient (r = 0.449). Physicians perceive digitization as a sign of the times and frequently use its tools in daily practice. The evaluation of Dr. Google's phenomenon and online health is directly related to their own e-health literacy skills, but there is still a need for practical training to deal with the digital revolution.

The Interplay of Work, Digital Health Usage, and the Perceived Effects of Digitalization on Physicians' Work: Network Analysis Approach

Background

In health care, the benefits of digitalization need to outweigh the risks, but there is limited knowledge about the factors affecting this balance in the work environment of physicians. To achieve the benefits of digitalization, a more comprehensive understanding of this complex phenomenon related to the digitalization of physicians’ work is needed.

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine physicians’ perceptions of the effects of health care digitalization on their work and to analyze how these perceptions are associated with multiple factors related to work and digital health usage.

Methods

A representative sample of 4630 (response rate 24.46%) Finnish physicians (2960/4617, 64.11% women) was used. Statements measuring the perceived effects of digitalization on work included the patients’ active role, preventive work, interprofessional cooperation, decision support, access to patient information, and faster consultations. Network analysis of the perceived effects of digitalization and factors related to work and digital health usage was conducted using mixed graphical modeling. Adjusted and standardized regression coefficients are denoted by b. Centrality statistics were examined to evaluate the relative influence of each variable in terms of node strength.

Results

Nearly half of physicians considered that digitalization has promoted an active role for patients in their own care (2104/4537, 46.37%) and easier access to patient information (1986/4551, 43.64%), but only 1 in 10 (445/4529, 9.82%) felt that the impact has been positive on consultation times with patients. Almost half of the respondents estimated that digitalization has neither increased nor decreased the possibilities for preventive work (2036/4506, 45.18%) and supportiveness of clinical decision support systems (1941/4458, 43.54%). When all variables were integrated into the network, the most influential variables were purpose of using health information systems, employment sector, and specialization status. However, the grade given to the electronic health record (EHR) system that was primarily used had the strongest direct links to faster consultations (b=0.32) and facilitated access to patient information (b=0.28). At least 6 months of use of the main EHR was associated with facilitated access to patient information (b=0.18).

Conclusions

The results highlight the complex interdependence of multiple factors associated with the perceived effects of digitalization on physicians’ work. It seems that a high-quality EHR system is critical for promoting smooth clinical practice. In addition, work-related factors may influence other factors that affect digital health success. These factors should be considered when developing and implementing new digital health technologies or services for physicians’ work. The adoption of digital health is not just a technological project but a project that changes existing work practices.

Patient requests for radiological services: An Australian study of patient agency and the impact of online health information

ISSUE ADDRESSED

The Internet has been instrumental in patients' knowledge about health and medicine through increasing consultation of online sources that advocate self-management. For example, those patients who request referrals from their doctors for tests and procedures in radiology. Such patient-initiated referral requests can devolutionise the traditional model of health care. This study aimed to understand individuals who sought online health information (OHI) and whether requests for radiological referrals were the result of OHI seeking.

METHODS

The individuals targeted were those who have had a radiological procedure in the past 5 years. Using an online survey tool, individuals completed a 20-min anonymous survey. Included in the survey was a validated digital health literacy measurement scale, eHEALS.

RESULTS

Those who scored higher on the eHEALS measure were likely to be under 55 years of age and were more inclined to request radiological referrals. Though they were not concerned with the credibility of sourced websites, most secured the desired outcome from their requests.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this study indicates that patients are consulting online sites for health information, and individuals with higher digital literacy scores are asking doctors for referrals for radiological tests and procedures. These findings confirm our anecdotal experience in radiology departments. So what?: In conducting this study, we hope to better inform radiology and other health practitioners of the way OHI is impacting clinical practice.

Does Sustainable Consumption Matter? The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medication Use in Brasov, Romania

Sustainable consumption refers to the choice, purchase, use, and disposal of goods so as to enable all people to meet their present and future objective needs. However, panic caused by the gradual onset of the pandemic had a considerable impact on the behavior of consumption and purchase of medication, and the question remains whether sustainable consumption still matters during a crisis or not. The present study aims to analyze whether the pandemic has influenced the behavior of medication use among residents of Brasov County amid panic caused by the virus and to determine the primary sources of information on methods of the prevention and treatment of health conditions. The study focusses on the differences between the two target groups, young people, and adults, considering three socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, and background. The present research uses two methods of data collection: an interview with 5 doctors and a questionnaire with 543 respondents. This research draws attention to the fact that the behaviors of purchasing and consuming medication during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed due to the spreading of the new virus and the state of emergency, as well as with medication use becoming less sustainable. The results showed that adults were more engaged in the panic buying of medication compared to young people during the pandemic; however, in normal times, young people use more medication. Our study shows that females tend to consume more medicines than males. Moreover, they are more susceptible for seeking media guidance and following advice from the digital realm, because they avoid going to the doctor, especially during the COVID-19 period. Depending on the environment of residence, it was found that people in rural areas generally tend to consume more medication than those in urban areas. However, during the pandemic, the drug use of this category of population has decreased because they do not tend to self-medicate and avoid visiting the doctor because of the fear of becoming contaminated. The results of the research could help to establish measures in order to prevent the panic buying of self-medication and pharmaceuticals, both during pandemics and in normal times, because such behaviors can have negative effects on both health and the environment.

Online Health Information Seeking Behaviors Among Older Adults: Systematic Scoping Review

Background

With the world’s population aging, more health-conscious older adults are seeking health information to make better-informed health decisions. The rapid growth of the internet has empowered older adults to access web-based health information sources. However, research explicitly exploring older adults’ online health information seeking (OHIS) behavior is still underway.

Objective

This systematic scoping review aims to understand older adults’ OHIS and answer four research questions: (1) What types of health information do older adults seek and where do they seek health information on the internet? (2) What are the factors that influence older adults’ OHIS? (3) What are the barriers to older adults’ OHIS? (4) How can we intervene and support older adults’ OHIS?

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was performed in November 2020, involving the following academic databases: Web of Science; Cochrane Library database; PubMed; MEDLINE; CINAHL Plus; APA PsycINFO; Library and Information Science Source; Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts; Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection; Communication & Mass Media Complete; ABI/INFORM; and ACM Digital Library. The initial search identified 8047 publications through database search strategies. After the removal of duplicates, a data set consisting of 5949 publications was obtained for screening. Among these, 75 articles met the inclusion criteria. Qualitative content analysis was performed to identify themes related to the research questions.

Results

The results suggest that older adults seek 10 types of health information from 6 types of internet-based information sources and that 2 main categories of influencing factors, individual-related and source-related, impact older adults’ OHIS. Moreover, the results reveal that in their OHIS, older adults confront 3 types of barriers, namely individual, social, and those related to information and communication technologies. Some intervention programs based on educational training workshops have been created to intervene and support older adults’ OHIS.

Conclusions

Although OHIS has become increasingly common among older adults, the review reveals that older adults’ OHIS behavior is not adequately investigated. The findings suggest that more studies are needed to understand older adults’ OHIS behaviors and better support their medical and health decisions in OHIS. Based on the results, the review proposes multiple objectives for future studies, including (1) more investigations on the OHIS behavior of older adults above 85 years; (2) conducting more longitudinal, action research, and mixed methods studies; (3) elaboration of the mobile context and cross-platform scenario of older adults’ OHIS; (4) facilitating older adults’ OHIS by explicating technology affordance; and (5) promoting and measuring the performance of OHIS interventions for older adults.

The Effect of Online Health Information Seeking on Physician-Patient Relationships: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The internet has now become part of human life and is constantly changing people's way of life. With the increasing popularity of online health information (OHI), it has been found that OHI can affect the physician-patient relationship by influencing patient behaviors.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to systematically investigate the impact of OHI-seeking behavior on the physician-patient relationship.

METHODS

Literature retrieval was conducted on 4 databases (Web of Science, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, SinoMed), and the time limit for literature publication was before August 1, 2021.

RESULTS

We selected 53 target papers (42 [79%] English papers and 11 [21%] Chinese papers) that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 31 (58%) papers believe that patients' OHI behavior can enable them to participate in their own medical care, improve patient compliance, and improve the physician-patient relationship. In addition, 14 (26%) papers maintain a neutral attitude, some believing that OHI behavior has no significant effect on doctors and patients and others believing that due to changes in the factors affecting OHI behavior, they will have a negative or a positive impact. Furthermore, 8 (15%) papers believe that OHI search behavior has a negative impact on doctors and patients, while 6 (11%) papers show that OHI reduces Chinese patients' trust in doctors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our main findings showed that (1) OHI-seeking behavior has an impact on patients' psychology, behavior, and evaluation of doctors; (2) whether patients choose to discuss OHI with doctors has different effects on the physician-patient relationship; and (3) the negative impact of OHI on China's internet users is worthy of attention. Due to the low quality of OHI, poor health information literacy, short physician-patient communication time, and various types of negative news, patients' trust in doctors has declined, thus affecting the physician-patient relationship. Improvement of people's health information literacy and the quality of OHI are important factors that promote the positive impact of OHI on the physician-patient relationship.

The Online Representation of Palliative Care by Practice, Policy, and Advocacy Organizations: Definitional Variations and Discursive Tensions

Negative beliefs and a lack of clarity surrounding the meaning of palliative care have been widely reported as obstacles to its uptake. Information available to the public possibly contributes to this. A descriptive and discourse-theoretical analysis was conducted of information spread online by palliative care policy, advocacy, and practice organizations. Discrepancies were found in the way palliative care was defined in relation to curative, end-of-life, terminal, and supportive care. Beyond these definitional variations, meaning was generated through the representation of palliative care as a culture, connected to total care, compassion, and openness. Tensions arose around the concepts of autonomy, a natural death, and an emphasis on the quality of life away from death and dying. Overall, this study showed that the online information of palliative care is a potential source of confusion and might even contribute to its stigmatization. Insights are provided that may help improve clarity toward the public.

Google is goodish: An information literacy course designed to teach users why google may not always be the best place to search for evidence

This article describes a course that was developed in response to health sector and local authority workers being reliant on Google and using it for their information needs regardless of whether it was the best place to search. The methodology for developing and structuring the course is explored, including details of the content included. The author concludes by asserting that teaching users about the effective use of Google is an important part of user education. D.I.

Evaluating the frequency, consumers' motivation and perception of online medicinal, herbal, and health products purchase safety in Saudi Arabia

Objectives

Purchasing medicinal products from the internet has become more popular in the last three decades. Understanding consumers’ use and perception of the safety of medicinal products obtained online is essential. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the extent of medicines purchased from the internet in Saudi Arabia, types of products, sources of information, the satisfaction, the motivational factors, and estimate consumers’ vigilance and tendency to report ADRs if occurred.

Design

A prospective cross-sectional study using a custom-designed questionnaire was conducted among community adults in Saudi Arabia, age ≥ 18.

Setting

Evaluation of community subjects' perception towards buying medicinal products was done through the internet in Saudi Arabia from 1st July 2020 until the end of August 2020.

Main outcome measure(s)

The main outcome of the study was purchasing medicinal products from the internet (Yes, No).

Results

Overall, 36% of the study participants (n = 643) have ever bought medicinal products from the internet (Table 2). Of those, the most obtained was herbal medicine, supplements, or cosmetics (61.3%). Motivational factors towards purchasing medicinal products from the internet were mostly positive, with the most commonly reported agreed motivational factors were lower cost (55.7%), easy online access (54.1%), a wide variety of products (52.6%), and more privacy (43.6%). Around 60.4% of participants believed that buying medicinal products from the internet can be safe. The most perceived risk was the difficulty of distinguishing between registered online pharmacies and other unlicensed commercial websites, with only 32.7% of the participants distinguishing between registered and unlicensed commercial websites.

Conclusions

This study sheds light on the consumers’ use and perception of the safety and risks of medicinal products purchased from the internet. The study findings noticeably describe the great need to increase safety awareness about obtaining medicinal products from the internet among the Saudi community.