E-Health Knowledge Management by Australian University Students

This study is the first research project to investigate Australian university students’ e-health knowledge management trends. An online survey was developed (http://www.limesurvey.org) to collect both quantitative and qualitative empirical data. The survey was promoted via Facebook and 2 broadcast emails to students’ email accounts who were attending Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia (Arts, Education & Law). Two hundred and seventy-five (275) responses were included for analysis. A profile which emerged identifies that the majority of participants used the Internet to search for personal health information, used a random search engine, accessed online health information every few months, would mostly spend more than 1-15 minutes in reading it, with the majority accessing health topics concerning, 1) specific diseases, 2) medical treatment, and 3) health services. Australian university health services could benefit from understandings pertaining to students’ e-health knowledge management usage trends to meet their personal health concerns. It seems plausible to claim that reliable websites, designed and managed by university health services, should have a predominant position among interventions which are specifically aimed to address students’ health concerns.