Background
Causing a large socio-economic burden, chronic back pain is a major public health concern. The importance of patient information in chronic back pain is well-known and has taken a new dimension in the digital era. On one hand, online health information could promote patient empowerment, on the other hand it could reinforce health inequalities because of the digital divide. Within a critical health psychology framework, we aim to explore the experiences and needs of people suffering from chronic back pain regarding health information seeking on the Internet.
Methods
30 semi-structured interviews are conducted with adults suffering from chronic back pain using an interview guide. The Functional Communicative and Critical Health Literacy scale (FCCHL) is administered to participants. Interviews are transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis and lexicometric analysis.
Results
Interviews are currently being conducted and will be analysed in the first half of 2019.
Discussion
The results of this study are expected to provide a better understanding of people’s perceptions and use of the Internet for chronic back pain information. The findings could provide guidelines for the development of websites or other information resources dedicated to chronic back pain that take into account disparities in health literacy.