C34.
Anigbogu, J. & Rice, R. E. (2001). Expectations and experiences of
infertility information seeking via the Internet and telephone
directory. In R. E. Rice & J. E. Katz (Eds.), The Internet and
health communication: Expectations
and experiences (pp. 121-141). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
This chapter provides two perspectives on how a
person new to the Internet
might experience the accessibility and usability of health
information. The first part follows a woman as she tries to
understand what appears to be a problem of infertility in her
marriage. With our help, she turned
to the Internet to find resources outside of her regular doctor and her
family.
As she was a complete novice at computing and Internet usage, this case
study
provides interesting insights into how “ordinary” people might actually
first
experience this new environment, rather than as utopian advertisements
portray,
and how this experience might change their perceptions of their
problem,
their health providers, and even their own relationships. The
second
part considers a related dimension of this case: to what extent do
traditional
information resources, here the local telephone directory and hospital
referrals,
and new information resources, here specialized Internet lists and
search
engines, reflect a common physical health environment? Is it
accurate
to say that the Internet is “just” a faster and easier way to find the
same
information? Finally, both of these cases show that the process
of
using the Internet for health information is far more complex, and
involves
many more tacit assumptions and prior knowledge, than is typically
portrayed
in the media or conveyed in training materials.
Part I: Researching Infertility on the Net:
A
Case Study
A New World of Information: Changes in Personal, Family and
Physician Relations
The Internet as Empowerment
Part II: Hospital and Clinic Referrals from the
Telephone
Directory
Compared to Those Listed on the Internet, in the New Jersey Counties
of
Middlesex, Somerset, and Union
Results from the Telephone Directory
Results from the Internet
Discussion: Hospital Referral Research Vs. Computer Research
Conclusion
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