OBJECTIVE: Each consumer uses different consumer evaluation by sources of health information, considering the influences of consumers' socio-demographic characteristics, health status, attitude to health, and types of health information needed. METHODS: Sources of health information include web-based resources, health professionals, and publications such as medical books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Data were collected from 1,189 respondents through a telephone survey, among whom 513(43%) responses were finally included in the analysis. The results were analysed by statistical methods including Chi-square, multiple regression, and correlation analyses. RESULTS: Key findings are as follows. First, there were significant differences in evaluation results by different sources of health information. Access to health professionals shows positive outcomes in general, followed by web-based resource. Second, the significant factors related to the access outcomes were different in each domains such as easiness, amount, understanding, reliability, and helpfulness. In addition, while access to health professionals was found to have significant influence on health behavior by improving the ability of health management, access to internet improved only the understanding of health information. CONCLUSION: Access to health professionals for health information was positively related to utilization outcomes in general, but access to publications was negatively related to outcomes. Despite the increase in the number of web-based users, they could not rely on the information they found. To effectively utilize various sources of health information and improve the nation's health by providing appropriate health information, quality assurance strategy for contents in health information websites and active intervention by health professionals should be pursued.
Attitude to Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Health Behavior ; Health Occupations ; Health Resources ; Internet ; Periodicals ; Periodicals as Topic ; Telephone

OBJECTIVE: Despite the increasing number of websites about health information, there have been few studies on the issues of enhancing the service quality of health information websites. The purpose of this study is twofold. The first objective is to identify what customers request from health information websites and the key attributes of service operations. The second objective is to determine a strategy to improve the service quality of health information websites by applying the House of Quality(HoQ) framework. METHODS: Service attributes and functional characteristics were gathered through an online survey: in particular, 250 questionnaires were collected through an online survey at a large internet community. Based on the survey, conducted are various statistical methods including principal component factor, logistic regression, correlation, and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: First of all, 9 key service attributes and 5 key functional characteristics to health information websites are derived from principal component factor analysis. And the logistic regression analysis determines the relative importance of service attributes. To complete the relation matrix at the center of the HoQ model, it is necessary to measure the interdependency, if any, between all service attributes and functional characteristics. All the relationships are exhibited as standardized estimates. The completed HoQ results show that the search function represents the highest importance to customers. CONCLUSION: The result of this study confirms the proposition that it is critical for website managers to provide health information service that best meet customers' needs. The HoQ framework employed in this study provides an efficient way of improving healthcare websites. Moreover, the insights from the study will serve as a good stepping stone towards a marketing strategy for the website providers under a fierce competition.
Delivery of Health Care ; Information Services ; Internet ; Logistic Models ; Marketing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: Despite of increasing number of websites for health information, there have been few studies on the issues of enhancing the service quality of health information websites. In this article, we examine and identify the key service attributes of the websites for health information, thereby providing a direction to improve the website service quality. METHODS: The research takes three steps to identify customers' requirements for health information websites. Starting from a comprehensive literature review and brainstorming, we narrow down the possible candidates of key service attributes as going through the steps. Lastly, conducted is an extensive customer survey followed by multivariate statistical analyses such as reliability tests, principal component analysis, discriminant analysis, etc. RESULTS: Based on 250 questionnaires completed through the online survey, derived are 9 key service attributes for efficient operations of healthcare websites. These include reliability, information transparency, customer care, capability, publicity, ease-of-use, security and integrity, responsiveness, and elucidation. CONCLUSION: The research results presented in the paper will provide an efficient way of operating healthcare websites. Moreover, the insights from the study will be a good stepping? stone toward a marketing strategy for the website providers under a fierce competition.
Delivery of Health Care ; Discriminant Analysis ; Marketing ; Principal Component Analysis ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates consumers' choice regarding source of health information. Specifically, the relationships between consumers' socioeconomic characteristics, health status, attitude to health, information needs and source of health information were explored. METHODS: Type of health information sources includes web-based, health professional, and mass-media types. Structured questionnaires were completed by 1,189 consumers through a telephone survey, and 622(52.3%) responses were included in analysis. RESULTS: A key finding was the significant difference for accessing health information by customer's characteristics, although the strong preference was shown in web-based resource. Accessing channels were different by consumer's needs of health information and attitude to health as well as consumer's age, job, education, and economic status. CONCLUSION: Consumer behaviors are likely to optimize physical and psychosocial health potentials through health information. Despite a growing number of available web-based health information resources, consumers continue to face a variety of barriers as they attempt to access these resources. Meeting consumer's needs for health information is an important role for all providers of health information.
Access to Information ; Attitude to Health ; Education ; Health Occupations ; Information Services ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Telephone

Objectives: Systematic evaluations of the benefits of health information technology (HIT) play an essential role in enhancing healthcare quality by improving outcomes. However, there is limited empirical evidence regarding the benefits of IT adoption in healthcare settings. This study aimed to review the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and personal health records (PHR), based on scientific evidence. Methods: The literature published in peer-reviewed journals between 2016 and 2022 was searched for systematic reviews and meta-analysis studies using the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Manual searches were also performed using the reference lists of systematic reviews and eligible studies from major health informatics journals. The benefits of each HIT were assessed from multiple perspectives across four outcome domains. Results: Twenty-four systematic review or meta-analysis studies on AI, IoT, and PHR were identified. The benefits of each HIT were assessed and summarized from a multifaceted perspective, focusing on four outcome domains: clinical, psycho-behavioral, managerial, and socioeconomic. The benefits varied depending on the nature of each type of HIT and the diseases to which they were applied. Conclusions Overall, our review indicates that AI and PHR can positively impact clinical outcomes, while IoT holds potential for improving managerial efficiency. Despite ongoing research into the benefits of health IT in line with advances in healthcare, the existing evidence is limited in both volume and scope. The findings of our study can help identify areas for further investigation.