Internet Health Behaviors of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Assessment of Two Disease Websites.

Little is known about patients' use of the internet to search for information about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their perspectives on disease content on websites. To determine the interests and behavior of patients with COPD who search the internet for disease information and to assess their perspectives about 2 COPD educational websites. Individuals with COPD who had registered for a consumer panel were invited electronically to participate in a survey which included general use of the internet, online health behaviors about COPD, and assessment of 2 COPD educational websites. A total of 445 respondents completed the survey in 23 ± 12 minutes (72% response rate). A total of 95% reported that physicians were the primary source of information about COPD followed by internet searches about the disease (76%). The 3 major information priorities were "symptom control" (82%), "how COPD is affecting my body" (60%), and "treatments that might work better for me" (59%). Overall ratings (range, 1 - 10) were 7.4 ± 1.5 for the American Lung Association and 6.8 ±1.8 for the COPD Foundation websites. Ratings by respondents were higher for all 5 impression attributes and for 8 of 9 content attributes on the American Lung Association website compared with the COPD Foundation website. This report describes, for the first time, information priorities of patients with COPD about their disease and their assessment of 2 educational websites. Our survey results can be used by health care professionals to recommend online resources to their patients.