Professional Experience Placement

Students’ trust judgements in online health information seeking

Rowley et al (2014) investigated the relative importance of factors influencing students’ trust formation in the context of digital health information. Previous studies have found that while 16-24 year olds have the highest level of use of internet activities and almost half use the internet to seek health information they still experience difficulty in locating, evaluating and using online health information. Although there is a lack of consensus on the key factors other studies have indicated that credibility and trust judgements were ascertained by ease of use; from a knowledgeable source; appear to be prepared by an expert; impartial and independent; and reasoning behind the advice was explained.

The majority of respondents of the survey were aged between 18-21 years. This study found that credibility; content; style; usefulness and brand were the most important influences on trust judgements. Recommendation was the least important factor. This study also support earlier work that suggests students use ‘fact’ websites for health information and social media for interaction with their friends to seek support.

Ease of use and verification by checking authorship and other sources are also important factors. Brand and brand reputation is an essential signifier of quality. Recommendation was found to be the least influential factor, however, the role of recommendation from teachers is yet to be determined. The findings suggest that students exhibit appropriate levels of scepticism regarding health information, advice and comment on social media sites. The authors concluded by providing suggestions regarding future research to determine whether the same factors apply to different groups.

It is important that health profession students discern credible internet information when using mobile learning in health care environments. They need to be able to make decisions about the quality of information sourced in the chaotic environment of clinical practice. If recommendation is the least important factor, health professionals will need to ensure that students understand the necessity of using previously established evidence-based resources such as Cochrane Collaboration or Joanna Briggs Institute. Additionally, students will need to learn what are credible sources prior to entering the clinical practice environment where errors of judgement may have implications for patient health outcomes.

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