Undergraduate Medical Students' Search for Health Information Online: Explanatory Cross-Sectional Study

JMIR Medical Informatics
Teresa LodaAnne Herrmann-Werner

Abstract

Previous research shows that being a "digital native" or growing up in a digital environment does not necessarily lead to increased digital competencies, such as digital health literacy or evaluation of webpage quality. This study showed how medical students searched for health information online, specifically the recommended testing for histamine intolerance, by comparing the use of various search engines (Google, Medisuch, and a website of the student's choice) to find out more about search strategies in future health professionals. As Medisuch presents a qualitatively better search engine, we assumed that medical students using this search engine might find valid information faster on more reliable webpages, and might recommend the correct diagnostic steps for histamine intolerance to their patients more often than students using a generic search engine like Google. Medical students in their third year of study were asked to find the relevant diagnostic steps of histamine intolerance online. They were randomly assigned to use one search engine: Google, their personal choice, or Medisuch. Their process of seeking information online was video recorded. In total, 140 medical students participated in this study. The total number...Continue Reading

References

Nov 20, 2008·Journal of Medical Internet Research·Per Egil KummervoldSilje Camilla Wangberg
Nov 15, 2011·International Journal of Medical Informatics·Alexander J A M van Deursen
Feb 3, 2012·International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics·Liupu WangDong Xu
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Mar 17, 2017·The Clinical Teacher·Karen ScottBen Marais
Feb 1, 2019·BMC Medical Education·Diane O'DohertyDeirdre McGrath

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Citations

Sep 4, 2020·Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG·Alice MartinJorge Frank
Jan 16, 2021·Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG·Alice MartinJorge Frank
Oct 30, 2020·Journal of Medical Internet Research·Akira-Sebastian PoncetteDavid Back

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Software Mentioned

afgis
Medisuch
free
Flexicon
Internet Explorer
choice
HONcode
Firefox
SPSS

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