Young Tech-Savvy Users’ Perceptions of Consumer Health Portals Jim Warren Chief Scientist, National Institute for Health Innovation (NIHI) The University of Auckland HINZ Conference & Exhibition Rotorua, October 2008

Consumers and the Internet Why study this? Cornerstone of consumer empowerment Quality issue Do consumers find what they’re looking for? Is what they find correct? Do they understand it enough to take the right action? Investments are prolific Governments building big general sites Medlineplus.gov, Healthinsite.gov.au Purpose-specific sites www.thelowdown.co.nz

Why study this?

Cornerstone of consumer empowerment

Quality issue

Do consumers find what they’re looking for?

Is what they find correct?

Do they understand it enough to take the right action?

Investments are prolific

Governments building big general sites

Medlineplus.gov, Healthinsite.gov.au

Purpose-specific sites

www.thelowdown.co.nz

As illustrated by thelowdown – the bar is moving up (and so will the cost); e.g., locally-relevant multimedia content

Context/Motivation Continuing Australian Research Council (ARC) funding – Smart Internet Portals Investigating the role and management of metadata for consumer Internet health resources How do we describe these resources so people get matched up with What they want What they need Accurate stuff … so they end up healthy and empowered

Continuing Australian Research Council (ARC) funding – Smart Internet Portals

Investigating the role and management of metadata for consumer Internet health resources

How do we describe these resources so people get matched up with

What they want

What they need

Accurate stuff

… so they end up healthy and empowered

We wish to see into the future of consumer health on the Internet So let’s ask the young tech-savvy folks what works for them

Methodology Offered a tutorial (with opt out) to COMPSCI 345 Human-Computer Interaction students in August 2007 Each tried one of two Australasian and one of three ‘international’ web sites Spent 10 minutes with each to answer a health question of interest to them on behalf of themselves or someone they cared about Completed anonymous questionnaires Discussed experience in class

Offered a tutorial (with opt out) to COMPSCI 345 Human-Computer Interaction students in August 2007

Each tried one of two Australasian and one of three ‘international’ web sites

Spent 10 minutes with each to answer a health question of interest to them

on behalf of themselves or someone they cared about

Completed anonymous questionnaires

Discussed experience in class

What were respondents like? 44 of 143 students (31%) submitted questionnaires Of those… 80% male 66% aged 22 years or under (and only two over age 30) 75% indicated English as their primary language (Asian languages constituting all but two of the remainder) 91% had searched for health information on the Internet previously 34% had previously searched for health information for a family member

44 of 143 students (31%) submitted questionnaires

Of those…

80% male

66% aged 22 years or under (and only two over age 30)

75% indicated English as their primary language (Asian languages constituting all but two of the remainder)

91% had searched for health information on the Internet previously

34% had previously searched for health information for a family member

Results – what did they like? Health On Net (HON) and US Medlineplus a bit ahead

Results – what worked? Medlinesplus or HON significantly more likely to provide what they were looking for Odds ratio [OR] 5.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-25.16

Medlinesplus or HON significantly more likely to provide what they were looking for

Odds ratio [OR] 5.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-25.16

Results – enough info? Significantly more likely to find enough info with HON or Medlineplus OR 6.26, 95% CI 2.10-18.70

Significantly more likely to find enough info with HON or Medlineplus

OR 6.26, 95% CI 2.10-18.70

Results – what did they want Asked about importance of particular types of features Newsletters / stuff the sends info to them Personalisation Choosing type of information Options if they mis-spell search term Terms to refine search Site search engine Search feature overwhelmingly important 82% ‘very important’, 14% ‘important’ and the remainder ‘moderately important’ Majority of free-text comments were about issues with search features of sites Getting info at other times was least important

Asked about importance of particular types of features

Newsletters / stuff the sends info to them

Personalisation

Choosing type of information

Options if they mis-spell search term

Terms to refine search

Site search engine

Search feature overwhelmingly important

82% ‘very important’, 14% ‘important’ and the remainder ‘moderately important’

Majority of free-text comments were about issues with search features of sites

Getting info at other times was least important

Search further In discussion the students really emphasized Search and Google Would you use a health portal? No, I’d use Google Aren’t you worried about quality Nah, I can tell Really; would you recommend a portal to anyone? Maybe to my grandma

In discussion the students really emphasized Search and Google

Would you use a health portal?

No, I’d use Google

Aren’t you worried about quality

Nah, I can tell

Really; would you recommend a portal to anyone?

Maybe to my grandma

Discussion / Implications Search is king The youngsters don’t want to navigate when Google can take them straight there Implication – need good metadata and inherent provenance on each page of a website It’s hard to be good The really big websites significantly outperformed smaller cousins in providing answers (at all, and in desired depth) Implication – do you really have the budget to make a useful addition?

Search is king

The youngsters don’t want to navigate when Google can take them straight there

Implication – need good metadata and inherent provenance on each page of a website

It’s hard to be good

The really big websites significantly outperformed smaller cousins in providing answers (at all, and in desired depth)

Implication – do you really have the budget to make a useful addition?

Limitations They weren’t really sick People with serious and chronic illness will have different preferences So, e.g., cancer, mental health are probably quite beside the point to this finding ‘ Immediate’ users (e.g., HealthPoint) quite different, too Then again, less tech-comfortable, esp. older, people will probably use their younger relatives for search And many, more casual, health inquiries will probably follow the patterns of these students We didn’t ask about all kinds of features Aussies say they want Web 2.0 features, too E.g., post a comment

They weren’t really sick

People with serious and chronic illness will have different preferences

So, e.g., cancer, mental health are probably quite beside the point to this finding

‘ Immediate’ users (e.g., HealthPoint) quite different, too

Then again, less tech-comfortable, esp. older, people will probably use their younger relatives for search

And many, more casual, health inquiries will probably follow the patterns of these students

We didn’t ask about all kinds of features

Aussies say they want Web 2.0 features, too

E.g., post a comment

Conclusions Metadata Every page must be self-documenting; indexed; referenced; linked (and current) Coverage Can you really answer the questions? Possibly, Web 2.0 e.g., allow feedback

Metadata

Every page must be self-documenting; indexed; referenced; linked (and current)

Coverage

Can you really answer the questions?

Possibly, Web 2.0

e.g., allow feedback

Questions? Contact Jim Warren (jim@cs.auckland.ac.nz)

Contact Jim Warren (jim@cs.auckland.ac.nz)