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INTERNET-BASED BEHAVIOR OF IT PROFESSIONALS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ONLINE ERGONOMIC EDUCATION TO PREVENT WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS By Priyadarshini Pattath, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017 Director: Dr. Robin Hurst, Assistant Professor of Adult Learning, Teaching and Learning, School of Education The purpose of this study was to explore the preferences of medium of ergonomic education and views about self-directed online training modules to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in computer professionals and understand their perspectives and experiences about online health information seeking using a self-directed learning framework. To accomplish this, a qualitative research design was used to analyze data from interviews and observation. An exploratory case study research design was employed to examine the experiences of fifteen information technology professionals. The findings revealed that the preference for the mode of delivery of ergonomic education depends on the individual attitude and on the perceived attributes of the particular mode of delivery. The findings highlighted the role of the Internet in making significant lifestyle and contextual modifications. Finally, the findings highlighted the barriers that were faced when seeking health information on the Internet. The findings of this study were limited by the nature of the research and sample size. Additional research is needed to support the findings. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Il 40 per cento degli intervistati afferma che non ha trovato informazioni esaustive sui rischi e benefici dei farmaci trovati, mentre il 52 per cento afferma che le informazioni trovate hanno aiutato a seguire le indicazioni e i consigli del medico. Tra i rispondenti che si sono sottoposti a visita medica e che hanno discusso le informazioni trovate online con il proprio medico di fiducia, l'84 per cento ha ricevuto la prescrizione di farmaci. Di questi, solo il 17 per cento riporta che il farmaco prescritto era lo stesso trovato online, il 74 per cento è stato inviato da uno specialista e l'80 per cento ha ricevuto una prescrizione per test diagnostici. Più della metà dei rispondenti ha anche riportato azioni intraprese dal medico diverse dalla prescrizione del farmaco trovato online. Il 20 per cento degli intervistati afferma che le informazioni trovate sul farmaco da prescrizione in Internet hanno ridotto il suo / la sua fiducia nel medico, mentre il 41 per cento afferma che lo ha aiutato ad avere una comunicazione migliore con il proprio medico di fiducia. Nonostante le preoccupazioni sulle conseguenze negative della comunicazione di salute online, non abbiamo riscontrato differenze in termini di effetti sulla salute tra i pazienti che hanno assunto i farmaci “menzionati” online e coloro che hanno preso altri farmaci da prescrizione. / We conducted a national online survey about health care experiences associated with digital communication of prescription drugs. 46 percent of the sample (265 adults) found information about prescription drugs during their online search in the last 12 months. 40 percent of respondents agreed they didn’t find exhaustive information about risks and benefits while 52 percent agreed it helped in following their physician’s indications and advise. Among the respondents who had a physician visit during which health information found online was discussed, 84 percent received a drug prescription with only 17 percent being the same drug found on internet, 74 percent was sent to a specialist and 80 percent received a diagnostic test prescription. More than half also reported actions taken by their physician other than prescribing the drug brand found online. 20 percent respondents states that info found on the prescription drug in Internet reduced his/her trust in the physician while 41 percent states it helped in his/her communication with physician. Despite concerns about online health communication’s negative consequences, we found no differences in health effects between patients who took “advocated”/”mentioned” drugs and those who took other prescription drugs.