Abstract
BACKGROUND: The increasing complexity of disease spectra and the rising public demand for health have led to a continuous expansion in the need for health information acquisition. However, the rapid development of digital and intelligent technologies has posed greater challenges to the credibility assessment of online medical and health information. The professional medical attributes of medical students necessitate their ability to discern health information in the digital-intelligent age. OBJECTIVE: To explore the intrinsic mechanisms of health information credibility assessment among medical students in the digital-intelligent age and to provide a theoretical basis for enhancing their health information discernment capabilities. METHODS: We conducted a grounded theory study following Corbin & Strauss. Through purposive sampling, 23 medical students from diverse academic backgrounds were selected for in-depth interviews. Open coding, axial coding, and selective coding were employed to analyze the interview data, systematically constructing a theoretical model of health information credibility assessment among medical students. RESULTS: (1) Intelligent technologies in the digital-intelligent age have significantly transformed the ecology of health information dissemination, with tools such as GenAI, IAT, and Big Data increasing the difficulty of health information discernment for medical students. (2) Individual heterogeneity is a critical factor leading to variations in health information discernment among medical students, primarily manifested across three dimensions: health information acquisition, health information cognitive processing, and social connectedness. (3) In the process of health information acquisition, differences in platforms, channels, and presentation formats influence individual discernment. (4) In health information cognitive processing, factors such as information familiarity, degree of involvement, and depth of processing affect discernment. (5) Regarding social connectedness, professional identity, clinical practical experience, and medical social support shape individuals' health information discernment. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the potential for individuals to proactively generate information in the digital-intelligent age transforming from passive information recipients into active participants in content creation, thereby highlighting the critical importance of individual heterogeneity. A theoretical framework for individual heterogeneity is constructed: health information acquisition → cognitive processing of health information → social connectedness → credibility assessment.