Teens and Technology Transforming Acne Treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Although the Internet contains many health Web sites with valid information, it also contains sites with false information. OBJECTIVE: To learn whether high school students searching health care information believe they are using evidence-based sites and to understand their topics of interest, frequently navigated sites, and trust/confidence in the credibility of information found. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Students at a private high school answered an anonymous survey inquiring about their belief that they were using evidence-based sites, topics of interest, search engines of choice, and their trust in information obtained. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance were used to compare trends across grade levels. RESULTS: Of 705 students enrolled, 24.7% were absent or declined to participate. For the remaining students, 497 completed the surveys, representing a response rate of 70.5% (497/705) and a participation rate of 93.6% (497/531). Overall, 82% of students communicated that they believed they were using evidence-based sources when searching for health information (p < 0.0006). Findings showed that 42% searched general health information, and 43% investigated specific medical conditions; topics related to skin and acne were researched significantly more often (p < 0.05). Overall, most students (80%) reported using Google as their number 1 search engine (p < 0.004), 38% reported using WebMD Search (p < 0.0002), and 50% of students used Wikipedia (not significant). CONCLUSION: Most students trust health information they learn from the Internet. We found it chilling that less than half of students obtained their information from a Web site with health care professionals' oversight.

How do adolescents access health information? And do they ask their physicians?

OBJECTIVE: To improve understanding about how high school students use electronic tools to obtain health information and how this information affects their behavior. DESIGN/METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, we administered an anonymous survey to high school students in grades 9 through 12 at a single private Catholic high school, inquiring about their use of electronic tools to obtain health information, topics of interest, sources used to obtain information, and modifications in their behavior based on that information. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance were used to compare trends across grade levels. RESULTS: Of 705 students enrolled, 24.7% were either absent or chose not to participate in the survey. Of the remaining 531 students, 497 completed the surveys, for a response rate of 70.5% (497 of 705) and a participation rate of 93.6% (497 of 531). All students were comfortable using the Internet, and >90% used it at home and in school. Access to broadband applications averaged 95% at home and 80% at school. A significant proportion (0.66; p < 0.0001) of students reported that they trusted the information found online, and 22% (not significant) modified their behavior on the basis of the information they found. Forty-two percent searched for general health information, and 43% investigated specific medical conditions or disease states. Topics related to skin were researched significantly more than nutrition, birth control, and sexually transmitted diseases. Although a significant number of students (p < 0.05) reported conducting e-mail conversations related to health topics with their teachers, <5% had e-mail communications with physicians. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that most high school students used the Internet and broadband applications at school and at home as resources for health care information. A significant number of students trusted the online information, and at nearly one-quarter subsequently modified their behavior. Students conducted e-mail conversations with teachers about health-related topics, but few students used this tool to communicate with their physicians. This information raises questions about design and implementation of strategies to provide adolescents access to appropriate health care information, including that provided by physicians.

Charting the use of electronic health records and other information technologies among child health providers.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies regarding the use of information technologies (IT) specifically among pediatricians and other physicians who treat children are lacking. As such, the objective of this study is to examine the use of electronic health record (EHR) systems and other IT applications among pediatricians and other child health providers (CHPs) in Florida. METHODS: We focus on pediatricians and other CHPs who responded to a state-wide physician survey of IT use. CHPs included general pediatricians, pediatric sub-specialists, and family physicians who self-reported a practice composition of at least 20% children. We compared general pediatricians to other CHPs and all CHPs (including pediatricians) to other physicians with respect to computer and internet availability, and to the use of personal digital assistants and EHRs. Those with an EHR were also compared regarding the availability of key functions available in their system. Statistical analyses included chi-square analysis and logistic regression models which controlled for numerous factors. RESULTS: A total of 4,203 surveys (28.2% response) including 1,021 CHPs, were returned. General pediatricians (13.7%) were significantly less likely to be using an EHR than both CHP family physicians (26.1%) and pediatric sub-specialists (29.6%; p < .001). In multivariate analysis, only general pediatricians were significantly less likely than other physicians to indicate the use of an EHR system (OR = .43; 95% C.I. = .29 - .64). Overall, CHPs were less likely to have key functions available in their EHR system including electronic prescribing (53.3% vs. 61.9%; p = .028), and electronic order entry (47.7% vs. 57.2%; p = .017) among others. General pediatricians and pediatric sub-specialists frequently lagged behind CHP family physicians with respect to key EHR functions. In contrast, CHPs had growth charts (51.3% vs. 24.0%; p < .001) and weight-based dosing functions (35.5% vs.22.7%; p < .001) more frequently than others. CONCLUSION: Physicians caring for children, and especially pediatricians, in Florida, are significantly slower than other doctors to adopt EHRs, and important electronic patient safety functionalities, into their office practices.