Transcript eHtM_w13b_ch_9

COMM 3302
eHealth & Telemedicine
Shawn McCombs
UH School of Communication
http://soc.class.uh.edu/~smccombs
 2006 UH School of Communication - Health Communication Lecture Series - All Rights Reserved
Digital Health:
Public Confidence & Trust in
Sources
COMM 3302
eHealth & Telemedicine
Shawn McCombs
UH School of Communication
http://soc.class.uh.edu/~smccombs
Topics
Key Terms
Overview
Authority and Public Confidence & Trust
Online
Authority, Trust, Branding and the Media
Authority of Online Health Information
Digital Health:
Public Confidence & Trust in
Sources
Key Terms
•Quality
•Authority
•Policy
•Credibility
•Credentials
•Diagnosis
•Diagnostic
•Confidence (public)
•Trust
Major Topics:
•Delivering Health Comm product that the public can trust
•Message Authenticity and Authority
Overview
•Gaging Confidence:
Public Confidence and Trust in Digital
Health Communication and Services can be
measured in one word:
QUALITY
• ...no big surprise here...
Overview, Continued...
Digital health information offered directly to
the consumer is of special concern
because an individual may act on the
information without further mediation or
control of a qualified health professional.
An online patient may misinterpret the
advice given
Overview, Continued...
Members of the public may be suspicious
of online health services (even those from
official sources):
because of suspected implications
about provision of standard health
diagnostic and treatment services
that would otherwise occur in doctors’
offices, clinics, and hospitals.
•
*Significance = People generally accept the concept, but fear the
unknown.. and not enough evidence exists to verify success.
Overview, Continued...
It may be difficult to judge authority in relation to
online health information services because there
are so many parties associated with their
production, especially with kiosks.
Reaching the Public:
Authority,
Confidence and Trust
Authority on the Internet
The Public and Online Health Information
Authority: Internet & The Public
Authority online should be measured in
two mutually-exclusive, unique, yet equally
important aspects:
Intrinsic Quality of Content
Overall Quality of Delivery Mechanism
• ...Both can be measured by evaluating user
perception
Authority: Internet & The Public,
Continued...
Authority on the Internet:
Research has often failed to evaluate public
perception as a variable impacting the perception
of authenticity.
This is particularly true given that online technologies
have been used to target different groups with varying
dispositions toward the medical profession, information
sources, and technology platforms.
Authority: Internet & The Public,
Continued...
The Web’s fundamental flaw: Ensuring
Authenticity
Current accepted methods or practice rely heavily
on end-user to “eval” and “question” everything
encountered.. even when little doubt initially
manifests itself
this evaluation happens even when comparing
other, similar messages
A better Solution might include
establishing “controls”
Safe Domains, “One-Stop Shops,” incorporation of
SSL and other validation
Authority: Internet & The Public,
Continued...
The absence of editorial controls over
content on many Websites has raised the
issue of authenticity, with many observers
questioning the quality of the information
provided.
Even “official” information published by
government sources can be of questionable
quality, because much of the information was
inaccurate and of date, technical terms were not
explained, and few materials provided adequate
information about treatment risks and side
effects.
Authority: Internet & The Public,
Continued...
There are also thousands of unregulated,
unidentifiable, and unscrupulous sites
readily accessible though the Web.
Policies and procedures for guaranteeing
the quality and authority of Internet health
information are needed not just to enhance
the public’s view of the authority of the
provider, but also to avoid wrongly
diagnosed ailments or other manifestations
of poor information provision that could
Authority: Internet & The Public,
Continued...
•The Public and Online Health Information:
If the brand is not trusted, it could have
significant implications for the acceptance,
uptake and use of online services.
Trust in brands has been found to affect the
success of online services beyond the health
domain.
Trust in an online source is known to play a crucial role
in the believability of online information and in the extent
to which users will engage in a transaction with that
source.
Trust creates more favorable user attitudes toward
service suppliers and engenders customer loyalty.
Authority: Internet & The Public,
Continued...
Technology users often assign human
characteristics to interactive technologies.
Sources of trust include:
User presumptions
Initial appearance of service provider
Service related experience
Reputation of online sources
Second hand knowledge:
• (such as media reports, other user recommendations, and social
stereotypes whereby the supplier resembles another supplier that
is know to the user)
First impressions, experience, accreditation by reputable and
authoritative sources, periodic updates, and advertising.
Authority:
Trust, Branding and the Media
TV’s Role
Internet of the Future
Authority: Trust, Branding, and the
Media
Among all Mass Media, TV reigns supreme...
But the World Wide Web and Internet are on it’s
heels.
TV still dominant because we trust TV more than
other mediums
But Should we???
Gate Keepers:
Okay...
But what about bias?
Authority: Trust, Branding, Media,
Continued...
Questions:
1.Can Gatekeepers and Bias be harmful?
2.What are the stakeholders involved?
Authority: Trust, Branding, Media,
Continued...
Television has often emerged as the most trusted
mass communication medium.
Source where people get most of their news from,
except in the case of local news.
People get most of their local news from newspapers.
Authority: Trust, Branding, Media,
Continued...
Anchor Phenomenon
Novelty Effect
Authority:
Online Health Information
Source Credibility
Authority: Online Health Information
Safe Passage Online:
It is becoming increasingly popular to
create “safe” virtual communities online
These communities are protected by
membership requirements, SSL, and other
technologies in order to help establish
credibility with users
Authority: Online Health Information,
Continued...
When in doubt... Always ask someone...
Pick up the phone.......
Authority: Online Health Information,
Continued...
There are links between perceived
trustworthiness and attitudes toward advertising on
the site.
A person’s trust in the authenticity of a site was
also found to be a significant factor on health
outcome, with those users demonstrating the
greatest trust being more likely to claim a positive
health outcome.
More To Come...
COMM 3302
eHealth & Telemedicine
Shawn McCombs
UH School of Communication
http://soc.class.uh.edu/~smccombs
 2006 UH School of Communication - Health Communication Lecture Series - All Rights Reserved