Hepatitis B and C Patients’ Information Seeking at a Selected Tertiary Health Institution in South Africa

Abstract

Much has been reported about information-seeking behaviour in health contexts, specifically related to chronic diseases, however, little is known about the methods and purpose of information seeking regarding hepatitis B and C patients, given the epidemic nature of the disease. This article aims to examine information-seeking behaviour of hepatitis B and C patients using a comprehensive model of information seeking at a tertiary health institution in South Africa. A qualitative research design was used for this article. Nine patients were recruited for an interview at the Ngwelezane district hospital in KwaZulu-Natal using a convenient sampling technique at a 95 per cent confidence interval rate to collect qualitative data. The qualitative data were descriptively analysed using the “ggplot2” package of R-software and a bivariate correlational chart, generated using grid and lattice packages incorporated in the R-development platform. The majority of the participants preferred seeking information directly from health professionals about their health challenges, whereas others preferred watching television programmes on health, and reading up on hepatitis-related information regarding getting better treatment, staying safe, getting informed and increasing their chances of survival. The comprehensive model of information seeking was applied to hepatitis B and C participants’ information seeking by investigating the frequency of their information seeking, their methods of information seeking, and their purpose of information seeking. This study provides insight into the preferred methods of information seeking by the participants to enable them to make informed decisions and to achieve better outcomes.