SynthesisBMC medical informatics and decision making2020
A mixed methods systematic review of the effects of patient online self-diagnosing in the 'smart-phone society' on the healthcare professional-patient relationship and medical authority.
Synthesis in BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Supporting translation of research evidence into practice-the use of Normalisation Process Theory to assess and inform implementation within randomised controlled trials: a systematic review.Implementation science : IS · 2023Pooled it
- Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Assisted Self-Diagnosis and the Patient-Physician Relationship: Mixed Methods Study of Calibration, Participation, and Trust.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Personal Health Data in Healthcare: Important Factors Considered by Health Students-A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Women's motivations for and experiences with transabdominal cerclage: A qualitative study.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2026Article
- Evaluation of Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer's Performance in Cosmetic Injection Consultation by Authoritative Plastic Surgeons.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Online search interest in major depressive disorder: Infodemiology study using the most visited search engine in Japan.PloS one · 2026Observational
- "That kind of information is crucial to get across": co-developing a sexual assault support website with survivors and support providers.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- Viewpoint on the Intersection Among Health Information, Misinformation, and Generative AI Technologies.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Generative AI as Third Agent: Large Language Models and the Transformation of the Clinician-Patient Relationship.Journal of participatory medicine · 2025Article
- Self-Diagnosis of Mental Disorders: A Qualitative Study of Attitudes on Reddit.Qualitative health research · 2025Article
- Cyberchondria, somatic symptoms, and internet-based self-diagnosis among the Saudi population.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Patient safety culture through the lenses of surgical patients: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Unhelpful Information About Low Back and Neck Pain on Physiotherapist's Websites.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2025Article
- Article
- Co-Creation in the Development of Digital Therapeutics: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Review
- The Doctors, Their Patients, and the Symptom Checker App: Qualitative Interview Study With General Practitioners in Germany.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Internet of Things: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Characterizing the Adoption and Experiences of Users of Artificial Intelligence-Generated Health Information in the United States: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Assisted reproductive technology (ART) patient information-seeking behavior: a qualitative study.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- The predation relationship between online medical search and online medical consultation-empirical research based on Baidu platform data.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs technology continues to advance, the internet is becoming increasingly popular. Self-diagnosis and health information seeking online is growing more common and it will be important to understand the influence this may have on the patient-healthcare professional relationship.
methodsA mixed-method systematic review of quantitative, qualitative and mixed method studies concerning the public and healthcare professionals' perceptions of online self-diagnosis and health information seeking and how this can impact the patient-healthcare professional relationship. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ACM & SCOPUS between 2007 and 2018. Relevant data were extracted, and a thematic analysis was conducted and conceptualised using the Normalisation Process Theory framework.
resultsOf 6107 records identified, 25 articles met the review eligibility criteria which included 16 qualitative, 8 quantitative and 1 mixed method study. The findings indicated that patients found the internet as a complementary information source alongside healthcare professionals. Health care professionals were perceived to be the most reliable and valued information source. People feel responsible for their own health and find the internet to be a source that provides information rapidly with accessibility at their convenience. Most healthcare professionals agreed on the importance of collaboration with patients and the need to develop a partnership and shared decision-making process but struggled to find time in the consultation to do so efficiently. Some healthcare professionals felt that the internet was advantageous for patients looking after their own health, while others felt it was due to a lack of trust in their expertise. Patients tended to present information to the healthcare professional to support the therapeutic relationship rather than to challenge it and to become more involved in the decision-making process of their healthcare.
conclusionThe results of this review suggests that patients value healthcare professionals as a source of medical advice more than the internet. While health professionals' views were mixed our findings indicate that online health information seeking can potentially improve the patient-healthcare professional relationship as patients reported they usually conducted an online search to form a partnership with the healthcare professional as opposed to trying to prove them wrong.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.