{"title":"Public Perceptions Towards Online Health Information: A Mixed-Method Study in Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.","authors":"Turki M Alanzi","doi":"10.2147/JHL.S431362","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Online health disinformation is one of the key challenges faced globally. Although there are efforts to address this issue, most of the proposed solutions were ineffective or could not address it effectively. One of the key reasons for the ineffective solutions is lack of understanding on how public deal with disinformation and the different areas that could be influenced by health disinformation.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to analyze the public perceptions towards online health information, investigate the impact of online health disinformation, and propose a framework for addressing the issue of online health disinformation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A mixed-methods approach design is used in this study which includes a cross-sectional survey design to gather data from public; and a semi-structured interviews approach with healthcare experts to analyze the impact of online health disinformation on the society. A total of 409 Saudi residents were included for survey, and 22 health informatics experts were considered for interviews.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results revealed low digital literacy levels and poor critical analysis skills among the public resulting in poor management of health disinformation. Age and education can influence the users' perceptions about the use of various online health information evaluation techniques. Thematic analysis of the interviews identified impact in four areas including social, economic, technical, and legal fronts; and various strategies were identified for public, governments, and healthcare institutions for managing the online health disinformation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The occurrence of online health-related disinformation in Saudi Arabia is high, and there is a need to implement strict regulatory framework for managing disinformation.</p>","PeriodicalId":44346,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Healthcare Leadership","volume":"15 ","pages":"259-272"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10615101/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Healthcare Leadership","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S431362","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Online health disinformation is one of the key challenges faced globally. Although there are efforts to address this issue, most of the proposed solutions were ineffective or could not address it effectively. One of the key reasons for the ineffective solutions is lack of understanding on how public deal with disinformation and the different areas that could be influenced by health disinformation.
Purpose: This study aims to analyze the public perceptions towards online health information, investigate the impact of online health disinformation, and propose a framework for addressing the issue of online health disinformation.
Methods: A mixed-methods approach design is used in this study which includes a cross-sectional survey design to gather data from public; and a semi-structured interviews approach with healthcare experts to analyze the impact of online health disinformation on the society. A total of 409 Saudi residents were included for survey, and 22 health informatics experts were considered for interviews.
Results: The results revealed low digital literacy levels and poor critical analysis skills among the public resulting in poor management of health disinformation. Age and education can influence the users' perceptions about the use of various online health information evaluation techniques. Thematic analysis of the interviews identified impact in four areas including social, economic, technical, and legal fronts; and various strategies were identified for public, governments, and healthcare institutions for managing the online health disinformation.
Conclusion: The occurrence of online health-related disinformation in Saudi Arabia is high, and there is a need to implement strict regulatory framework for managing disinformation.
期刊介绍:
Efficient and successful modern healthcare depends on a growing group of professionals working together as an interdisciplinary team. However, many forces shape the delivery of healthcare; changes are being driven by the markets, transformations in concepts of health and wellbeing, technology and research and discovery. Dynamic leadership will guide these necessary transformations. The Journal of Healthcare Leadership is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on leadership for the healthcare professions. The publication strives to amalgamate current and future healthcare professionals and managers by providing key insights into leadership progress and challenges to improve patient care. The journal aspires to inform key decision makers and those professionals with ambitions of leadership and management; it seeks to connect professionals who are engaged in similar endeavours and to provide wisdom from those working in other industries. Senior and trainee doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals, medical students, healthcare managers and allied leaders are invited to contribute to this publication