Characteristics of rheumatic patients who consult digital information sources

Abstract

Introduction

Many patients use the internet as a source of health information and to create and share content of diverse quality of evidence, complementing and even competing with traditional sources of information.

Objectives

To evaluate differences between rheumatic patients who consult digital information sources (DISs) and those who do not (Non-DISs), and their perception of the credibility attributed to these sources by both groups.

Materials and Methods

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted through an anonymous survey of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and spondyloarthritis. Patients were asked about their search for information from different DISs or Non-DISs. Patients rated the credibility they assigned to the different sources on a scale of 0–10, where 0 was no credibility and 10 was the maximum possible credibility.

Results

A total of 402 patients (79% female) were surveyed. Two hundred and seven (51%) had consulted at least one DIS during the previous year (DISs group). The DISs group had consulted a total of 5 DISs and Non-DISs (First-Third Quartile: 3–7) vs. 2 (First-Third Quartile: 1–3) in the Non-DISs group (P < .001). The number of searches in DISs was higher at younger ages (OR .97 95% CI .95–.99) and at higher levels of education (secondary vs. primary OR 2.0; 95% CI 1.05–3.85). The DISs group assigned higher credibility to Facebook and YouTube than the other patients (median credibility of 6/10 and 6/10 vs. 2/10 and 1/10 respectively; P < .001). However, they did not assign lower credibility to traditional sources.

Conclusions

DISs are more frequently consulted by a younger population with a higher level of education. These patients consult multiple sources, but do not assign lower credibility to traditional information sources.