1. Nurses' use of online health information in medical wards.
- Author
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Gilmour, Jean A., Huntington, Annette, Broadbent, Rachel, Strong, Alison, and Hawkins, Mona
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CHI-squared test , *COMPUTER literacy , *CONTENT analysis , *STATISTICAL correlation , *DATABASES , *EMPLOYEES , *ETHNIC groups , *EXPERIENCE , *HEALTH , *HOSPITAL wards , *HOSPITAL personnel , *MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems , *INTERNET , *RESEARCH methodology , *NURSES , *PATIENT education , *PERSONNEL management , *RESEARCH funding , *STATISTICAL sampling , *STATISTICAL hypothesis testing , *STATISTICS , *SURVEYS , *T-test (Statistics) , *U-statistics , *INFORMATION resources , *QUALITATIVE research , *INFORMATION literacy , *REMOTE access networks , *STATISTICAL power analysis , *DATA analysis , *OCCUPATIONAL roles , *EDUCATIONAL attainment , *CROSS-sectional method , *DATA analysis software , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
gilmour j.a., huntington a., broadbent r., strong a. & hawkins m. (2012) Nurses' use of online health information in medical wards. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(6), 1349-1358. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a study of nurses' access, use and evaluation of online health information in medical wards. Background. Online health information is commonly used by patients with chronic illness to support their education needs. Nurses have a critical role in assisting patients to access and use this information. Method. This descriptive cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 540 nurses employed in medical wards was carried out in 2009. The response rate was 58·7% (293). The analytical approach included descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of correlation and differences between groups. A content analysis was performed on the qualitative data. Results. Most respondents (78·6%) were satisfied with work Internet access and 58·2% believed that the use of online information improved care delivery. Nearly half the group was aware of patient misconceptions about their illness due to incorrect interpretations of online information, but only 24·4% checked if patients used online information. There was a significant association between assessing patients use and awareness of patient misconceptions. Conclusion. The findings of this study highlight that while online resources add to education opportunities, the ongoing nursing assessment required to determine online information needs is not always incorporated into nursing practice. Patient misunderstandings of online material were also identified; developing patient competency in evaluating open access health information should now be recognized as an integral aspect of illness management education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
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