BACKGROUND: Internet use by patients as a source of information on health and disease is expanding rapidly with obvious effects on the doctor-patient relationship. Many of these effects remain undocumented or are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of the internet for health information by patients in primary care in Israel and their perception of the effects of internet use on their relationship with their doctor. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of patients visiting 10 primary care clinics in central Israel using a questionnaire developed for this survey. The survey examined attitudes to using the internet for health-related information and attitudes to sharing this information with doctors. Associations between demographic variables, internet use and patient satisfaction with the doctor's response were tested using the chi-square statistic and t-tests. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 138 patients; the response rate was 69%. Patients in the study sample had a high rate of internet access (87%), with many using the internet as a source of health information (41%) although most patients using the internet never share this information with their doctor (81%). Among those who share information with the doctor, most felt that this has a positive effect on the relationship (870/%). Few patients reported being referred to websites by the doctor (28%). CONCLUSIONS: Internet use is prevalent in this population, though physicians may be unaware of this. Future study could examine the effects of doctors who ask patients actively about their internet use and inform them of relevant health information sources online.
BACKGROUND: Internet use by patients as a source of information on health and disease is expanding rapidly with obvious effects on the doctor-patient relationship. Many of these effects remain undocumented or are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To assess the use of the internet for health information by patients in primary care in Israel and their perception of the effects of internet use on their relationship with their doctor. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of patients visiting 10 primary care clinics in central Israel using a questionnaire developed for this survey. The survey examined attitudes to using the internet for health-related information and attitudes to sharing this information with doctors. Associations between demographic variables, internet use and patient satisfaction with the doctor's response were tested using the chi-square statistic and t-tests. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 138 patients; the response rate was 69%. Patients in the study sample had a high rate of internet access (87%), with many using the internet as a source of health information (41%) although most patients using the internet never share this information with their doctor (81%). Among those who share information with the doctor, most felt that this has a positive effect on the relationship (870/%). Few patients reported being referred to websites by the doctor (28%). CONCLUSIONS: Internet use is prevalent in this population, though physicians may be unaware of this. Future study could examine the effects of doctors who ask patients actively about their internet use and inform them of relevant health information sources online.
Authors: Jörn Conell; Rita Bauer; Tasha Glenn; Martin Alda; Raffaella Ardau; Bernhard T Baune; Michael Berk; Yuly Bersudsky; Amy Bilderbeck; Alberto Bocchetta; Letizia Bossini; Angela Marianne Paredes Castro; Eric Yat Wo Cheung; Caterina Chillotti; Sabine Choppin; Maria Del Zompo; Rodrigo Dias; Seetal Dodd; Anne Duffy; Bruno Etain; Andrea Fagiolini; Julie Garnham; John Geddes; Jonas Gildebro; Ana Gonzalez-Pinto; Guy M Goodwin; Paul Grof; Hirohiko Harima; Stefanie Hassel; Chantal Henry; Diego Hidalgo-Mazzei; Vaisnvy Kapur; Girish Kunigiri; Beny Lafer; Chun Lam; Erik Roj Larsen; Ute Lewitzka; Rasmus Licht; Anne Hvenegaard Lund; Blazej Misiak; Patryk Piotrowski; Scott Monteith; Rodrigo Munoz; Takako Nakanotani; René E Nielsen; Claire O'Donovan; Yasushi Okamura; Yamima Osher; Andreas Reif; Philipp Ritter; Janusz K Rybakowski; Kemal Sagduyu; Brett Sawchuk; Elon Schwartz; Ângela Miranda Scippa; Claire Slaney; Ahmad Hatim Sulaiman; Kirsi Suominen; Aleksandra Suwalska; Peter Tam; Yoshitaka Tatebayashi; Leonardo Tondo; Eduard Vieta; Maj Vinberg; Biju Viswanath; Julia Volkert; Mark Zetin; Iñaki Zorrilla; Peter C Whybrow; Michael Bauer Journal: Int J Bipolar Disord Date: 2016-08-24
Authors: Melanie de Looper; Julia C M van Weert; Barbara C Schouten; Sifra Bolle; Eric H J Belgers; Eric H Eddes; Ellen M A Smets Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2021-07-05 Impact factor: 5.428