Health-related internet information-seeking behaviour among patients with known or suspected cardiac arrhythmias: an exploratory cross-sectional questionnaire survey

Background Despite the widespread availability of online health information, little is known about health-related internet information-seeking behaviour among patients with cardiac arrhythmias. Objective To describe health-related internet information-seeking behaviour among adults attending an outpatient arrhythmia clinic, explore associations with sociodemographic and internet-use characteristics, and assess reported information-seeking before and after diagnosis. Methods We conducted an exploratory cross-sectional questionnaire survey among consecutive adult participants attending outpatient arrhythmia consultations at the Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, between October 2018 and March 2019. The questionnaire assessed sociodemographic characteristics, general and work-related internet use, health-related internet information-seeking behaviour, preferred health information sources, and perceptions of online health information. Descriptive and exploratory statistical analyses were performed. Results Among 112 participants, 65.2% reported seeking health-related information online. Seeking was more common among participants who used the internet daily for work-related purposes than among those who did not use it for work (76.3% vs. 43.5%; p = 0.01). Reported information needs varied before and after diagnosis. Before diagnosis, participants mainly sought information on treatment options related to their symptoms and on the possible causes and significance of those symptoms. After diagnosis, they mainly sought information about the diagnosed cardiac arrhythmia and available treatment options. Only 7 of 106 participants (6.6%) reported that online health information influenced their choice of physician or treatment centre. Conclusions In this single-centre sample, online health information appeared to support understanding of the cardiac condition and to complement information provided by healthcare professionals rather than replace professional medical advice. These findings highlight the importance of helping patients critically appraise online health information and guiding them towards reliable digital resources. Future multicentre studies using validated instruments should examine contemporary information-seeking behaviour, including the influence of social media and generative AI-based health-information tools.