Application of the LifeGuide: The development and quantitative analysis of the 'Internet Doctor

LifeGuide is a software package that allows health professionals and researchers with no programming skills to easily and flexibly create, evaluate and modify behavioural interventions. An intervention called the 'Internet Doctor' was developed as a way of identifying many of the tools that were required in LifeGuide. The 'Internet Doctor' provides people suffering from cold and flu symptoms with tailored advice for the self-care of cold and flu symptoms. Participants were automatically randomised to one of two versions of the website: (i) the full, 'more interactive' version, or, (ii) a 'less interactive' version which omitted references to the Internet Doctor and links to obtain further information. Participants who viewed the less interactive version were more likely to complete the full consultation cycle for their selected symptom and were also more likely to consult for more symptoms than those in the less interactive version. Few participants clicked on the optional links in the more interactive version. It is concluded that although the more interactive version of the website provided more information, participants did not make full use of the interactive features which displayed this information, and did not consult for as many symptoms, so may not have benefited from the website as much as those viewing the less interactive version.