Searching and using online medical information among mothers of infants in Hanoi, 2019

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the factors related to searching and using online medical information among mothers of infants. This was a cross-section study of 219 mothers at 2 vaccination centers of Hanoi Medical University in Vietnam. Subjects were surveyed by a set of direct interview questions. More than half of the subjects were under 30 years old [(Mean = 30.16; SD = 4.06)]. Almost all participants did not agree with discussing health issues in online forums; if they had health issues, they felt the need to seek help from a doctor via message on Facebook or Zalo. Mothers wanted to discuss with doctors, professionals, friends, and relatives on online media; they were confident that they could find useful online information to make medical decisions. Factors related to finding and using online medical information included the following: age, ethnicity, employment (public officers), education level, income, and whether infant was first child or not. Health care professionals should support mothers to make medical decisions by communicating with patients as much as possible, provide reliable medical information for patients, and introduce them how to find accurate, comprehensive and understandable online medical information