eHealth trends in Europe 2005-2007: a population-based survey

Per Egil Kummervold, Catherine E Chronaki, Berthold Lausen, Hans-Ulrich Prokosch, Janne Rasmussen, Silvina Santana, Andrzej Staniszewski, Silje Camilla Wangberg, Per Egil Kummervold, Catherine E Chronaki, Berthold Lausen, Hans-Ulrich Prokosch, Janne Rasmussen, Silvina Santana, Andrzej Staniszewski, Silje Camilla Wangberg

Abstract

Background: In the last decade, the number of Internet users worldwide has dramatically increased. People are using the Internet for various health-related purposes. It is important to monitor such use as it may have an impact on the individual's health and behavior, patient-practitioner roles, and on general health care provision.

Objectives: This study investigates trends and patterns of European health-related Internet use over a period of 18 months. The main study objective was to estimate the change in the proportion of the population using the Internet for health purposes, and the importance of the Internet as a source of health information compared to more traditional sources.

Methods: The survey data were collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews. A representative sample (N = 14,956) from seven European countries has been used: Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Portugal. The European eHealth Consumer Trends Survey was first conducted in October-November 2005 and repeated in April-May 2007. In addition to providing background information, respondents were asked to rate the importance of various sources of health information. They were also queried as to the frequency of different online activities related to health and illness and the effects of such use on their disposition.

Results: The percentage of the population that has used the Internet for health purposes increased from an estimated 42.3% (95% CI [Confidence Interval] 41.3 - 43.3) in 2005 to an estimated 52.2% (95% CI 51.3 - 53.2) in 2007. Significant growth in the use of the Internet for health purposes was found in all the seven countries. Young women are the most active Internet health users. The importance of the Internet as a source of health information has increased. In 2007, the Internet was perceived as an important source of health information by an estimated 46.8% (95% CI 45.7 - 47.9) of the population, a significant increase of 6.5 % (95% CI 4.9 - 8.1) from 2005. The importance of all the traditional health information channels has either decreased or remained the same. An estimated 22.7% (95% CI 21.7 - 23.6) are using it for more interactive services than just reading health information.

Conclusion: The Internet is increasingly being used as a source of health information by the European population, and its perceived importance is rising. Use of the Internet for health purposes is growing in all age groups and for both men and women, with especially strong growth among young women. We see that experienced Internet health users are also using the Internet as an active communication channel, both for reaching health professionals and for communicating with peers.

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Internet and Internet health usage in 2005 and 2007, by age and gender (numbers are available in Multimedia Appendices 2 and 3)

References

    1. Eysenbach G, Kohler Ch. What is the prevalence of health-related searches on the World Wide Web? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of search engine queries on the internet. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003:225–9. D030003690
    1. Baker Laurence, Wagner Todd H, Singer Sara, Bundorf M Kate. Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information: results from a national survey. JAMA. 2003 May 14;289(18):2400–6. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.18.2400. 289/18/2400
    1. Hesse Bradford W, Nelson David E, Kreps Gary L, Croyle Robert T, Arora Neeraj K, Rimer Barbara K, Viswanath Kasisomayajula. Trust and sources of health information: the impact of the Internet and its implications for health care providers: findings from the first Health Information National Trends Survey. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165(22):2618–24. doi: 10.1001/archinte.165.22.2618. 165/22/2618
    1. Ybarra Michele L, Suman Michael. Help seeking behavior and the Internet: a national survey. Int J Med Inform. 2006 Jan;75(1):29–41. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2005.07.029.S1386-5056(05)00147-4
    1. Beckjord Ellen Burke, Finney Rutten Lila J, Squiers Linda, Arora Neeraj K, Volckmann Lindsey, Moser Richard P, Hesse Bradford W. Use of the internet to communicate with health care providers in the United States: estimates from the 2003 and 2005 Health Information National Trends Surveys (HINTS) J Med Internet Res. 2007;9(3):e20. doi: 10.2196/jmir.9.3.e20. v9i3e20
    1. Baker Laurence, Rideout Jeffrey, Gertler Paul, Raube Kristiana. Effect of an Internet-based system for doctor-patient communication on health care spending. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2005;12(5):530–6. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M1778. M1778
    1. Bovi AM. Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs of the American Medical Association. Ethical guidelines for use of electronic mail between patients and physicians. Am J Bioeth. 2003;3(3):W-IF2.
    1. Brooks Robert G, Menachemi Nir. Physicians' use of email with patients: factors influencing electronic communication and adherence to best practices. J Med Internet Res. 2006;8(1):e2. doi: 10.2196/jmir.8.1.e2. v8i1e2
    1. Sittig D F, King S, Hazlehurst B L. A survey of patient-provider e-mail communication: what do patients think? Int J Med Inform. 2001 Apr;61(1):71–80. doi: 10.1016/S1386-5056(00)00134-9.S1386-5056(00)00134-9
    1. Sittig Dean F. Personal health records on the internet: a snapshot of the pioneers at the end of the 20th Century. Int J Med Inform. 2002 Apr;65(1):1–6. doi: 10.1016/S1386-5056(01)00215-5.S1386505601002155
    1. Kim Matthew I, Johnson Kevin B. Personal health records: evaluation of functionality and utility. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002;9(2):171–80. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M0978.
    1. Simons William W, Mandl Kenneth D, Kohane Isaac S. The PING personally controlled electronic medical record system: technical architecture. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2005;12(1):47–54. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M1592. M1592
    1. Ball Marion J, Smith Carla, Bakalar Richard S. Personal health records: empowering consumers. J Healthc Inf Manag. 2007;21(1):76–86.
    1. Houston Thomas K, Sands Daniel Z, Jenckes Mollie W, Ford Daniel E. Experiences of patients who were early adopters of electronic communication with their physician: satisfaction, benefits, and concerns. Am J Manag Care. 2004 Sep;10(9):601–8. 2676
    1. Adler Kenneth G. Web portals in primary care: an evaluation of patient readiness and willingness to pay for online services. J Med Internet Res. 2006;8(4):e26. doi: 10.2196/jmir.8.4.e26. v8i4e26
    1. Hüfken V, Deutschmann M, Baehring T, Scherbaum W. Use of the internet for health care information: results from a national telephone survey. Soz Präventivmed. 2004:381–90.
    1. Eysenbach Gunther, Köhler Christian. How do consumers search for and appraise health information on the world wide web? Qualitative study using focus groups, usability tests, and in-depth interviews. BMJ. 2002 Mar 9;324(7337):573–7. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7337.573.
    1. Andreassen Hege K, Bujnowska-Fedak Maria M, Chronaki Catherine E, Dumitru Roxana C, Pudule Iveta, Santana Silvina, Voss Henning, Wynn Rolf. European citizens' use of E-health services: a study of seven countries. BMC Public Health. 2007;7(1):53. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-7-53. 1471-2458-7-53
    1. Dumitru Roxana Corina, Bürkle Thomas, Potapov Sergej, Lausen Berthold, Wiese Birgit, Prokosch Hans-Ulrich. Use and perception of internet for health related purposes in Germany: results of a national survey. Int J Public Health. 2007;52(5):275–85. doi: 10.1007/s00038-007-6067-0.
    1. Santana S, Sousa Pereira A. Cunningham P, Cunningham M, editors. Exploiting the Knowledge Economy: Issues, Applications and Case Studies. Volume 3. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: IOS Press; 2006. How the Portuguese are using the Internet for health purposes; pp. 1021–1026.
    1. Erkut S, Alarcón O, Coll C, Tropp LR, Garcia HAV. The dual-focus approach to creating bilingual measures. J Cross Cult Psychol. 1999:206–18. doi: 10.1177/0022022199030002004.
    1. Andreassen HK, Sørensen T, Kummervold PE. eHealth Trends across Europe 2005-2007. Preliminary report of the “WHO/European eHealth Consumer Trends Survey”. Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine. [2008 Nov 1]. .
    1. Boom-Zeiten für Versand-Apotheken. Bitkom. [2008 Nov 1]. .
    1. Internet-Strukturdaten Repräsentative Umfrage - IV. Quartal 2006. Forschungsgruppe Wahlen. [2008 Nov 1]. .
    1. PLOs (Praktiserende Lægers Organisation), authors Landsoverenskomsten 01-04-2006. § 39 Tilrettelæggelse af lægebetjening i dagtiden og link er nedenstående. . [2008 Nov 1]. .
    1. Katz Steven J, Nissan Neil, Moyer Cheryl A. Crossing the digital divide: evaluating online communication between patients and their providers. Am J Manag Care. 2004 Sep;10(9):593–8. 2677
    1. Lohr S. Microsoft rolls out personal health records. New York Times. 2007 Oct 4. .
    1. Ball M J, Lillis J. E-health: transforming the physician/patient relationship. Int J Med Inform. 2001 Apr;61(1):1–10. doi: 10.1016/S1386-5056(00)00130-1.S1386-5056(00)00130-1
    1. Sadan B. Patient empowerment and the asymmetry of knowledge. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2002;90:514–8.
    1. International Standard Classification of Education. UNESCO. [2008 Nov 1]. .

Source: PubMed

Sponsorit ja yhteistyökumppanit

Sairaudet

Huumeiden interventiot

3
Tilaa