Public Health Informatics Results (1)
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The University of Nairobi *
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Course
AEB 302
Subject
Health Science
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by kww001
1
Effects of Access to Public Health Information on Patients’ Health Awareness and
Education
Name
Institution
Professor’s Name
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2
Results
Uptake of Preventative Healthcare Practices due to Public Health Information Resources
Various studies have examined the effect that access to public health information
resources has on people’s uptake of preventative healthcare services. Jacobs et al. (2017)
conducted a study to investigate the factors that determine health-seeking behavior via the
internet and other media among adults in the United States. The researchers obtained data for
their study from the Health Information National Trends Survey conducted between 2011 and
2014. The authors found that the majority of people use the internet to find health information.
Moreover, during the three-year period that Jacobs et al. (2017) reviewed, the proportion of
people accessing health information via the internet increased from 42 percent to 46 percent.
Appendix A shows the trends that the authors observed in the use of internet resources for health
information among American adults.
A similar study was conducted by Ahadzadeh et al. (2018), who investigated online
health-seeking habits among women. The researchers found that individuals who use internet
resources to find information about their health and wellness are likelier to practice preventative
health and lifestyle habits (Ahadzadeh et al., 2018). However, while discussing the findings of
their study, Ahadzadeh et al. (2018) noted that people who are already health conscious are likely
to both seek health information from the internet, and also to observe preventative health and
lifestyle habits.
Garmache et al. (2018) conducted a study to identify current trends relating to the use of
public and population health information resources. In the study, the researchers found that the
proportion of providers and health agencies who routinely use informatics resources has trended
upwards in recent times, and the trend is expected to continue over the coming decades
3
(Garnache et al., 2018). In particular, the researchers explained that public health professionals
and organizations are adept at utilizing informatics tools and resources for functions like
evaluating indicators relating to determinants of health (Garnache et al., 2018). However, the
general public does not demonstrate a similar aptitude for health informatics (Garnache et al.,
2018).
A study by Polinski et al. (2018) investigated how effective the
integration of
MyHealthFinder into pharmaceutical services was at improving the uptake of preventative health
services among patients. The study used as quasi-experimental design and compared the levels of
engagement with the MyHealthFinder application to variables like vaccination rates, and clinical
visits for preventative health consults (Polinski et al., 2018). These findings are corroborated by
Hilfiker et al. (2019), who assert that access to digital health information can influence
consumers to seek the preventative health services that are recommended for them, such as
vaccinations and screenings for chronic and communicable diseases. The study by Polinksi et al.
(2018) also found that patients who used MyHealthFinder were likelier to receive pneumococcal
and influenza immunizations. However, the authors found no significant differences in the
adoption of other non-vaccination preventative services among the patients, such as diabetes
screening and tobacco cessation counselling (Polinski et al., 2018). Furthermore, only 1.6
percent of the patients who received pharmaceutical services used MyHealthFinder application,
indicating generally low levels of engagement.
Brewer et al. (2020) conducted a study that investigated the utilization of informatics
applications for health promotion among disadvantaged populations. The study, which used a
case study approach, found that technological tools like health monitoring applications have the
potential to improve the health of individuals who contend with health disparities. However, the
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