Use of the Internet as a source of information concerning health and disease in opinions of students attending universities in Lublin
Journal Title: Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu - Year 2015, Vol 21, Issue 2
Abstract
Introduction. At present, more than 60% of Polish internauts use the Internet searching for contents concerning health and disease. In this community, the largest group are students, who increasingly more often use information obtained from the websites resources in order to independently diagnose diseases and undertake an attempt to treat them. This growing phenomenon confirms that at present, in health care there is taking place a transition from the paternalistic model towards the model of shared decision making, in which the patient is a fully aware and educated participant in the therapeutic process. Objective. The objective of the study was evaluation of the use of the Internet as a source of information concerning health, as well as diseases and methods of their treatment, among students’ community in Lublin. Material and method. In May 2012, a survey was conducted among students attending universities in Lublin: the Medical University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, University of Natural Sciences, and the University of Technology. An anonymous questionnaire consisted of 14 items (including 1 open question) was applied. Results. The results obtained confirm that today the Internet is the first source of information about health and disease for 59% of respondents. The students in the study most frequently use medical websites (64%), as well as social networking and discussion forums (55.3%). Conclusions. In order to find contents in the area of medicine, the students willingly use the Internet, which is due to its easy and quick access. Young people seek mainly information concerning symptoms and forms of treatment, which is translated into an increasing tendency towards undertaking self-diagnosis and self-treatment.
Authors and Affiliations
Damian Marek Szymczyk, Monika Grela, Andrzej Horoch, Agata Smoleń
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP58501
- DOI -
- Views 154
- Downloads 0
Physical activity among nurses with consideration of their age
For a long time, physical activity has been indicated as the best example of prophylaxis concerning our health. Its importance poses a challenge for science for an objective evaluation. For this reason, at the end of th...
Tobacco smoking among junior high school adolescents in Poland
Due to the risk related with tobacco smoking, especially among the young population, international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the National Centre f...
Efekt placebo/nocebo prognozy lekarskiej
Introduction The placebo/nocebo effect refers to the action of pharmacologically inactive substances, administered in the receptural form of prescriptions (most often pills), which is identical with the form containing t...
Impact of physical activity on fatness level in young women
Introduction: The risk of cardiovascular system diseases, different metabolic diseases or cancers are strongly connected with the level of fatness. Fat tissue deficiency, as well as excessive body fatness, causes fertili...
Zasady, wskazania i dokumentowanie stosowania środków przymusu bezpośredniego w domach pomocy społecznej
Wprowadzenie. W polskich domach pomocy społecznej przebywa obecnie prawie 80 tys. pensjonariuszy. Znaczącą większość z nich stanowią osoby przewlekle chore psychicznie oraz osoby niesprawne intelektualnie. Należą one do...