How do health professionals acknowledge Web-based knowledge in pregnancy consultations?

Websites for pregnancy health are an important source of information for pregnant women, but how different cadres of health professionals value and utilize pregnant women's e-health literacy (e-HL) and Web-based knowledge in pregnancy consultations is not well understood. Using a qualitative research design and pelvic girdle pain as a tracer condition, we explored how Norwegian doctors, midwives and physiotherapists manage women's e-HL and Web-based knowledge in pregnancy consultations. The recognition of pregnant women's e-HL and Web-based knowledge differed across professional groups and produced dismissive, reactive and proactive attitudes depending on time pressure, professional identity and Internet experience.

Web-based Discussion Forums on Pregnancy Complaints and Maternal Health Literacy in Norway: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: The Internet is one of the fastest growing information sources for pregnant women and seems to be used across social and economic strata. However, we still lack knowledge on how interaction in Web-based discussion forums influence maternal health literacy, in terms of how pregnant women access, appraise, and apply information to promote and maintain good health. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand how Web-based discussion forums influence maternal health literacy; hence, we explored the role of interactions in Web-based discussion forums among women who experienced health problems during pregnancy. More specifically, we explored why media-literate women experiencing the medically unexplained condition, pelvic girdle pain (PGP), during pregnancy participated in Web-based discussion forums and how they appraised and applied the information and advice that they gained from the Web-based interaction with other women. METHODS: Women were invited to participate in the study via postings on 3 different open websites for pregnant women and mothers. The sample included 11 Norwegian women who participated in open Web-based discussion forums when experiencing PGP in pregnancy. The data were collected using synchronous qualitative email interviews and were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: In our study sample, interaction in Web-based discussion forums influenced maternal health literacy in terms of increased health-related knowledge and competencies, increased awareness of health promotion and health protection, and increased system navigation. The women appraised and selectively applied information and advice that resonated with their own experiences. For many, the information provided online by other women in the same situation was valued more highly than advice from health professionals. Women reported that they used their knowledge and competency in encounters with health professionals but hesitated to disclose the origin of their knowledge. Those with a high level of education in medicine-related fields raised a concern about the Internet as a source of horror stories and erroneous information and were actively engaged in trying to minimize potential negative effects, by providing biomedical information. CONCLUSIONS: The popularity of Web-based discussion forums among pregnant women suggests that this group needs additional sources of information and support to complement traditional consultations with the health professionals. The professionals need to recognize that pregnant women access Web-based discussion forums for support and information to increase their ability to take better health decisions for themselves. This is a potential resource that health professionals may find useful in consultations with pregnant women.

"They ask whether this is real or fake": a qualitative norwegian study of pregnancy complaints and access to social benefits.

Women increasingly combine paid work and childbearing, but working full time throughout pregnancy is commonly experienced as overtaxing. We explored access to sick leave or medical care as experienced by Norwegian women suffering from pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy. Through a grounded theory approach we compared results from qualitative interviews and open Internet discussions, and found that women struggled with credibility and that their claims for sick leave or medical care were commonly disregarded. Support from peers was seen as instrumental in regaining control over their health and was a vehicle in developing critical health literacy.

Where else would I look for it? A five-country qualitative study on purposes, strategies, and consequences of online health information seeking.

BACKGROUND: Online health information (OHI) is widely available and consulted by many people in Western countries to gain health advice. The main goal of the present study is to provide a detailed account of the experiences among people from various demographic backgrounds living in high-income countries, who have used OHI. DESIGN AND METHODS: Thematic analysis of 165 qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted among OHI users residing in Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland was performed. RESULTS: The lived experience of people using OHI seem not to differ across countries. The interviews show that searches for OHI are motivated from curiosity, sharing of experiences, or affirmation for actions already taken. Most people find it difficult to appraise the information, leading them to cross-check sources or discuss OHI with others. OHI seems to impact mostly some specific types of health behaviors, such as changes in diet or physical activity, while it only plays a complementary role for more serious health concerns. Participants often check OHI before seeing their GP, but are reluctant to discuss online content with health care personnel due to expected negative reception. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the body of knowledge on eHealth literacy by demonstrating how OHI affects overall health behavior, strengthens patients' ability to understand, live with, and prepare themselves for diverse health challenges. The increasing digitalization of health communication and health care calls for further research on digital divides and patient-professional relations. Health care professionals should acknowledge OHI seeking and engage in discussions with patients to enable them to appreciate OHI, and to support shared decision making in health care. The professionals can utilize patient's desire to learn as a resource for health prevention, promotion or treatment, and empowerment.

"Listen to your body". A qualitative text analysis of internet discussions related to pregnancy health and pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore popular perspectives on pelvic girdle pain (PGP) in pregnancy through an analysis of women's discussions on the Internet, and to investigate how these discussions compare with the prevailing official discourses on PGP and pregnancy health. METHODS: A qualitative text analysis of women's contributions to a commercial online web-based discussion forum related to PGP in Norway. RESULTS: The website works as a meeting point between pregnant women seeking advice on how to interpret and handle pregnancy-related pain, and women with experience of PGP. The worries expressed are met with strong messages of precautions and self-care, and in general PGP is perceived as an unpredictable and potentially disabling condition. CONCLUSION: A popular discourse on PGP as an "unpredictable condition" emerges in the discussions, and challenges the official discourse on PGP as a "common complaint". The "unpredictable condition" discourse may work to justify pregnant women's perceived need for rest and care, and may be interpreted as an expression of a lack of acknowledgement of pregnancy as a state of being that requires special care in contemporary Norwegian society. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This popular discourse reflects a gap between the policy of pregnancy as a normal condition and women's experiences that should be taken seriously in policy-making and medical practice.