Health Information Search Behavior on the Web: A Pilot Study

TL;DR

This pilot study explores how users search for health information online, their preferences for different types of results, and their ability to interpret this information accurately for self-diagnosis, revealing key user behaviors and challenges.

Contribution

It provides initial insights into user preferences and difficulties in interpreting online health information, highlighting areas for improving health information accessibility and understanding.

Findings

Blogs and news articles are most sought after by users.

Users face challenges in accurately interpreting online health information.

There are difficulties in using online health info for self-diagnosis.

Abstract

Searching health information on web has become an integral part of today's world, and many people turn to the Web for healthcare information and healthcare assessment. Our pilot study investigates users' preferences for the type of search results (image, news, video, etc.), and investigates users' ability to accurately interpret online health information for the purpose of self diagnosis. The preliminary results reveal that blog and news articles are most sought by users when searching online information and there exist challenges in the use of online health information for self-diagnosis.