Awareness and use of evidence-based medicine information among patients in Croatia: a nation-wide cross-sectional study

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Aim

To determine the use of evidence-based medicine (EBM) information and the level of awareness and knowledge of EBM among patients in Croatia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 987 patients in 10 family medicine practices in Croatia. Patients from both urban (n = 496) and rural (n = 482) areas were surveyed. A 27-item questionnaire was used to collect data about sources that patients searched for medical information, patient awareness and use of Cochrane systematic reviews and other EBM resources, and their demographic characteristics.

Results

Half of the patients searched for medical information from sources other than physician. Internet was the most common place they searched for information. Very few patients indicated using EBM sources for medical information; one fifth of patients heard of EBM and 4% of the patients heard of the Cochrane Collaboration. Patients considered physician’s opinion as the most reliable source of medical information. A logistic regression model showed that educational level and urban vs rural residence were the predictors of awareness about EBM and systematic reviews ( P < 0.001 for both).

Conclusion

Our finding that patients consider a physician’s opinion to be the most reliable source of health-related information could be used for promotion of high-quality health information among patients. More effort should be devoted to the education of patients in rural areas and those with less formal education. New avenues for knowledge translation and dissemination of high-quality health information among patients are necessary.

Related collections

Most cited references 18

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

European citizens' use of E-health services: A study of seven countries

Hege K Andreassen, Maria Bujnowska-Fedak, Catherine E Chronaki … (2007)

Background European citizens are increasingly being offered Internet health services. This study investigated patterns of health-related Internet use, its consequences, and citizens' expectations about their doctors' provision of e-health services. Methods Representative samples were obtained from the general populations in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Latvia. The total sample consisted of 7934 respondents. Interviews were conducted by telephone. Results 44 % of the total sample, 71 % of the Internet users, had used the Internet for health purposes. Factors that positively affected the use of Internet for health purposes were youth, higher education, white-collar or no paid job, visits to the GP during the past year, long-term illness or disabilities, and a subjective assessment of one's own health as good. Women were the most active health users among those who were online. One in four of the respondents used the Internet to prepare for or follow up doctors' appointments. Feeling reassured after using the Internet for health purposes was twice as common as experiencing anxieties. When choosing a new doctor, more than a third of the sample rated the provision of e-health services as important. Conclusion The users of Internet health services differ from the general population when it comes to health and demographic variables. The most common way to use the Internet in health matters is to read information, second comes using the net to decide whether to see a doctor and to prepare for and follow up on doctors' appointments. Hence, health-related use of the Internet does affect patients' use of other health services, but it would appear to supplement rather than to replace other health services.

0 comments Cited 194 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Patients' and health professionals' use of social media in health care: motives, barriers and expectations.

Marjolijn L Antheunis, Kiek Tates, Theodoor E Nieboer (2013)

To investigate patients' and health professionals' (a) motives and use of social media for health-related reasons, and (b) barriers and expectations for health-related social media use. We conducted a descriptive online survey among 139 patients and 153 health care professionals in obstetrics and gynecology. In this survey, we asked the respondents about their motives and use of social network sites (SNS: Facebook and Hyves), Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Results showed that patients primarily used Twitter (59.9%), especially for increasing knowledge and exchanging advice and Facebook (52.3%), particularly for social support and exchanging advice. Professionals primarily used LinkedIn (70.7%) and Twitter (51.2%), for communication with their colleagues and marketing reasons. Patients' main barriers for social media use were privacy concerns and unreliability of the information. Professionals' main barriers were inefficiency and lack of skills. Both patients and professionals expected future social media use, provided that they can choose their time of social media usage. The results indicate disconcordance in patients' and professionals' motives and use of social media in health care. Future studies on social media use in health care should not disregard participants' underlying motives, barriers and expectations regarding the (non)use of social media. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

0 comments Cited 185 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods.

Amber M Reinhart, Thomas Hugh Feeley, A Anker (2011)

Outlines the methods and measures commonly used to study active health information seeking and prescribes important considerations in advancing the study of patient information seeking. A systematic review of the literature from 1978 to 2010. A single bibliometric database, PsychInfo, identified 648 articles of health information seeking. The 129 articles included in the review were coded by type of sample, measures (n=12) utilized to study health information seeking, and types of study methods (n=5). A majority of studies used non-clinical samples and measured general health information seeking (i.e., whether the participant engaged in a search for health information) through cross-sectional study designs. There are varying samples, measures, and designs used to identify those who do or do not seek health information. Future research should look into how health information seeking influences health management and should uncover the social and relational functions of health information seeking using more advanced (and less routinely applied) measures and methods of studying health information seeking. More people are actively searching for health information and health providers should address this in their discussions with patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

0 comments Cited 112 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

All references

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Croat Med J

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Croat. Med. J

Journal ID (publisher-id): CMJ

Title: Croatian Medical Journal

Publisher: Croatian Medical Schools

ISSN (Print): 0353-9504

ISSN (Electronic): 1332-8166

Publication date (Print): August 2017

Volume: 58

Issue: 4

Pages: 300-301

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia

[2 ]Cochrane Croatia, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia

[3 ]Department of Family Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia

[4 ]Family Medicine Practice, Kotoriba, Croatia

[5 ]Family Medicine Practice, Osijek, Croatia

[6 ]Family Medicine Practice, Vežica, Rijeka, Croatia

[7 ]Family Medicine Practice, Viškovo, Rijeka, Croatia

[8 ]Family Medicine Practice, Čakovec, Croatia

[9 ]Department of Family Medicine, Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia

[10 ]Health center Zagreb-Centar, Family Medicine Practice, Kupinečki Kraljevec, Croatia

[11 ]Family Medicine Practice, Višnjevac, Croatia

[12 ]Family Medicine Practice, Donji Muć, Croatia

Author notes

Correspondence to: Danijel Nejašmić Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics University of Split School of Medicine Šoltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia  danijel.nejasmic@ 123456mefst.hr

Article

Publisher ID: CroatMedJ_58_0300

DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2017.58.300

PMC ID: 5577645

PubMed ID: 28857523

SO-VID: 366418b3-654a-42a4-9aa9-d1c82d4153b8

License:

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Awareness and use of evidence-based medicine information among patients in Croatia: a nation-wide cross-sectional study

Read this article at

Abstract

Aim

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Related collections

Journal of Medical Education Research

Most cited references 18

European citizens' use of E-health services: A study of seven countries

Patients' and health professionals' use of social media in health care: motives, barriers and expectations.

Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods.

Author and article information

Journal

Affiliations

Author notes

Article

History

Categories

Comments

Comment on this article

Similar content 188

Cited by 2

Most referenced authors 279