gms | German Medical Science

Background: The ease of how health-related information can be accessed on the Internet has dramatically changed the patient- physician interaction. Nowadays, patients frequently consult “Dr. Google” first, before they even see a health professional in person. However, little is known how this tendency affects the risk perception of patients. This aspect is of high relevance, as it could possibly influence if a physician is consulted at all and what sort of treatment options are preferred. In this study, the online information gathering patterns of underage patients’ parents in Switzerland in a pediatric surgery setting are investigated as well as pediatric surgeons’ interaction with parents regarding internet information at a Swiss university hospital. It is the aim of this study to contribute to a better understanding of modern patient-physician communication, and to optimal use of online medical information.

Materials and methods:

• Study 1: Online survey using a standardized questionnaire with established scales to identify the sources consulted by parents, the frequency of online search, and the sources’ credibility (n = 300). At least half of them should have had their child in pediatric surgery treatment. The sampling is conducted through the help of a professional panel provider and at a Swiss university hospital.
• Study 2: Qualitative interviews with pediatric surgeons about their interaction with parents regarding online information (n = 12). The interviews in study 2 are conducted at the pediatric surgery department of a Swiss university hospital. This sample includes physicians of different seniority and specializations within the field of pediatric surgery.

Results: Full dataset will be available end of 2015. A first evaluation of n = 151 participants in study 1 indicates that the internet is also a highly consulted information source by parents in pediatric surgery settings. The search behavior influences decision making. For instance almost one third of the parents report that they did not see a health professional after consulting the internet. Only a third of the parents had ever confronted a pediatric surgeon with web-based information. Parents typically consider themselves as highly capable in judging the quality of internet content; however the websites typically consulted is rather small. This is in line with the "filter bubble" hypothesis by Pariser (2011), according to whom patients tend to seek support rather than refutation for their existing beliefs. The data shows some first evidence that the internet steers users into personalized bubbles, where they are unlikely to encounter diverging points of view.

Conclusion: This is an exploratory study, focusing on both parents’ and physicians’ behaviors concerning online medical information. A) Parents: The aim is to investigate the online search behavior of underage patients’ parents (i. e. content, frequency, credibility of sources) and how this relates to risk-perception. B) Physicians: The aim is to analyze pediatric surgeons’ behavior when confronted by parents with online information, and their recommendations regarding accurate websites. Both perspectives contribute to a better understanding of risk perception and decision making in a medical context. This study is a first step in providing pediatric surgeons with valuable input, at which point patients/parents typically search for additional information and what sources they consider to be trustworthy. This knowledge can help the physicians provide a better “Internet prescription” for their patients, thus enabling more advanced shared decision-making in pediatric surgery.