Navigating Uncertain Times: Information Management about Pregnancy and Breastfeeding during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Exploring psychological variables in users' health information-seeking behavior: A systematic review

One of the important factors that play a fundamental role in people's information behavior is psychological factors. The aim of the current research is to identify the psychological factors that impact users' health information-seeking behavior through a systematic review. Innovation in this work emphasizes the use of a systematic approach to identify psychological factors that influence individuals' information behavior. By employing a systematic method, this research can have high scientific value and provides greater confidence in identifying and describing psychological factors related to information behavior. The research method of this study was carried out using a systematic review method. After searching in WoS, PubMed, and Scopus databases, 4162 articles were reviewed, after removing repetition and applying article selection criteria, 31 articles were selected for analysis. In this article, a systematic review of the Prisma flowchart tool has been utilized. The Prisma flowchart is a valuable instrument for ensuring methodological transparency and facilitating the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. It provides a structured framework for outlining the various stages of the review process, including study identification, screening, eligibility assessment, data extraction, and synthesis. By employing the Prisma flowchart, researchers can enhance the rigor and reproducibility of their systematic reviews, thereby promoting evidence-based decision making in various fields of study. The findings reveal that out of 31 articles, 28 were surveys, and 3 were descriptive studies. Furthermore, one article employed an intervention methodology, targeting community members, pregnant women, or patients as the statistical population. The research findings highlight anxiety, uncertainty, and avoidance of information as the most commonly identified psychological variables influencing Health information-seeking behavior. Psychological factors play an important role in the health information behavior of information users in different societies; however, in the published articles in the field of health information behavior, more attention has been paid to information carriers and less attention has been paid to the psychological characteristics of people, which originate from the human psyche and mind. The importance of dealing with non-communicable diseases has been emphasized in the "Research and Technology Policies and Priorities" documents. These documents highlight disease management, self-care, and the role of education and information in disease control and reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases. Therefore, it is essential that planners and policymakers can take important steps by focusing on these factors in order to improve the quality of information acquisition. Also, this work provides the possibility for researchers to study the information in future research with more knowledge by knowing the existing gaps in the field of psychologically effective factors on information behavior.

Keeping up with COVID-19 information: Capacity issues and knowledge uncertainty early in the pandemic

This article examines the relationship between information consumption and mental health during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting a qualitative approach, we interviewed 39 people in British Columbia, Canada between October and December 2020. Interestingly, half of the participants did not want to seek out new information on COVID-19, making their early insights and initial confusion salient. While some individuals did desire up-to-date information on outbreaks and new risks, many expressed confusion over what was perceived to be an evolving landscape of public health policy and practice. Overall, our research found that capacity issues, information overload/fatigue, politics, distrust, and competing sources of news all contributed to a culture of confusion towards public health information. As a consequence, this confusion resulted in knowledge uncertainty about the virus, vaccinations, and the pandemic itself. Our findings highlight the need for a host of future projects that examine how citizens experience disempowerment and limited agency towards compliance with health and safety initiatives.

Students’ appraisal of a preparedness model for the provision of oral health care during a pandemic

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the provision of oral health care worldwide, prompting the discussion of preparedness. This study aimed to perform an initial appraisal of the usability, spatial representation, and clarity of a newly developed preparedness model from the perspective of senior undergraduate dental students at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, enrolled in the 2020-21 academic year. Answers were analyzed thematically via an inductive coding process between March and June 2021.

Results

All the 111 students in years 3 (#55) and 4 (#56) appraised the preparedness model, generating more than 200 pages of text. Four main themes were identified across the essays: streamlined depiction, information-based approach, adaptability to an ever-changing situation, and room for improvement. Although the majority of students appraised the model as being useful in fostering information-seeking behaviour, few students disagreed with the model’s portrayal and made further suggestions.

Conclusions

Preparedness models can better guide oral health care providers during a health crisis such as a pandemic. The recently developed preparedness model was appraised as useful by senior undergraduate dental students, although alternative portrayals of the model were suggested. A comprehensive assessment of the newly developed model (and of its variations) is warranted to better support oral health care service delivery during a pandemic.