title: The association between patient activation and accessing online health information: results from a national survey of US adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are increasing opportunities for the public to access online health information, but attitudinal barriers to use are less well-known. Patient activation is associated with key health outcomes, but its relationship with using online health information is not known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined the relationship between patient activation and the likelihood of accessing a range of different types of online health information in a nationally representative US sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional nationally representative survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from an online (n = 2700) and random digit dial telephone survey (n = 700) of US adults (total n = 3400).
  
  
  METHODS
  Respondent characteristics and the Patient Activation Measure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported access of five types of online health information in the past 12 months (online medical records, cost estimation tools, quality comparison tools, health information about a specific condition, preventive health information).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately, one-fifth of the sample had accessed their medical record (21.6%), treatment cost estimation tools (17.3%) and hospital and physician quality comparison tools (21.8%). Nearly half of the sample had accessed information about medical conditions or treatments (48.3%) or preventive health and well-being (45.9%). In multivariable analyses adjusted for participant characteristics, respondents with greater patient activation were more likely to have accessed all types of health information other than cost estimation tools.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Activated people are more likely to make use of online heath information. Increasing patient activation could improve the public's ability to participate in health care and personal health self-management by encouraging health information seeking.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.|Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Samuel G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pandit
authors.affiliation: United Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Optum Labs, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D055991:Health Records, Personal / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: consumer activation; health information; patient activation; personal health records