Web users better informed but worse off
People with chronic diseases who use computer and web-based programmes to find information about their conditions have worse clinical outcomes than those who do not, a new report has found (The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 4).
Elizabeth Murray and colleagues at University College London reviewed
28 randomised controlled trials, involving 4,042 participants. They found
that computer-based and web-based health information packages, which
they called Interactive Health Communication Applications (IHCAs), improved
users’ knowledge about their condition and increased their perceived
social support, but did not affect behavioural outcomes and, in fact,
had a negative effect on their clinical outcomes.
The authors suggest either that ICHAs reduce motivation by providing
reassurance or that as users become more knowledgeable they feel overwhelmed
and lose motivation. They also suggest that users may decide to prioritise
outcomes differently from how a clinician would.
The authors recommend that further research is needed to see whether
better ICHAs can improve outcomes. In the meantime, they suggest that
patients should be cautious in their use of ICHAs. |
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