https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2964-5139
Abstract
Background
The study aims to gain insight into people’s preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news depending on their perception of their health status (either sick or healthy).
Methods
Comprehensive research was carried out on two main groups of past and prospective patients, Polish respondents (N=72) and International respondents (N= 214), using a CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) technique. Respondents were asked in an online questionnaire about the past history of illness, whether they would like to receive their diagnostic news and preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news whether they perceive they are sick or healthy.
Results
Amongst the international group, majority of respondents (143 resp. – 73.71%) would generally like to receive their diagnostic news and 156 resp. (80.83%) would prefer to receive their bad diagnostic news (BDN) from medical specialist doctors as opposed to other technological and non-technological means. Meanwhile, in the polish group, 65 resp. (90.28%) would like to generally receive their diagnostic news and 66 resp. (91.67%) would prefer to receive their BDN from medical specialist doctors as opposed to other proposed means of obtaining BDN.
Conclusion
The result of this study indicates that medical doctors, especially specialists, are still a preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news. However, a certain proportion of respondents will be open to technological medium in receiving their diagnostic news.
Highlights
Majority of people will not pay to receive their diagnostic news from an online medium.
Doctors especially specialists are still the most preferred medium of receiving diagnostic news.
Generally, people are willing to receive news of their diagnostic news.
The preferred medium for receiving diagnostic news was not altered by their perceived good or bad health status.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the effort of the Medical University of Lodz in connecting the medical-student researchers to their supervisors after they had just observed the research problem. Our sincere appreciation also goes to Marta Perzyna for her insights in writing this article.
Disclosure
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.