Access and use of the internet in a hand surgery population.

Internet use is increasing and its applications to medicine and patient information are widening daily. Previous studies have focused on the quality and quantity of medical information on the Internet. The current study focuses on a population of 120 new patients presenting to a hand surgery practice. A questionnaire was used to analyse patterns of Internet access, use of the Internet to look up personal symptoms, and patients' opinions on the use of electronic mail by office staff. Results showed that approximately 90% of the group had some form of Internet access, with a significant age-related decrease in Internet access. Only 17% used the Internet to look up their symptoms, but this group was more likely to correctly match their self-diagnosis to the surgeon's diagnosis. On average, 65% of the study group favoured the use of electronic mail for office staff's communications with patients.