The association between online health resources use in specific otolaryngology patients is poorly understood. To better understand health-related Internet use by otolaryngology patients, we surveyed first-visit patients at academic and private practice clinics in Iowa.
Data on socioeconomic status, access, and utilization of online resources were collected. Age distributions were compared by t test, and categorical variables were compared by chi-square analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for association between independent variables (age, sex, educational attainment, otolaryngology subspecialty, etc).
Data showed that 8.7% lacked Internet access; an additional 5.4% reported access only in a public place or at work. Younger, more educated, and more urban patients reported higher rates of Internet access. Among university patients, patients seeing head and neck oncologists were most likely to report no Internet access (10.9%). Just over one-third of patients used the Internet to research their health condition prior to their appointment.
Internet access was far from universal among this large cohort of otolaryngology outpatients. Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients report the least online access among all otolaryngology subspecialties. Providers should consider nonelectronic patient resources for older, more rural, less educated, and HNC patient populations as online/electronic methods of communication may not be accessible to these groups.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
2
5%
Psychology
2
5%
Environmental Science
1
3%
Other
3
8%
Unknown
20
54%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 22 July 2018.
All research outputs
#18,577,651
of 27,788,803 outputs
Outputs from Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
#1,376
of 2,152 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#217,045
of 345,922 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
#17
of 32 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 27,788,803 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 31st percentile – i.e., 31% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,152 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.2. This one is in the 33rd percentile – i.e., 33% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 32 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 46th percentile – i.e., 46% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
