Impact of Online Health Information on Doctors and Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Elizabeth Murray, Bernard Lo, Lance Pollack, Karen Donelan, Joe Catania, Ken Lee, Kinga Zapert, Rachel Turner
Primary Institution: Royal Free and University College School of Medicine at University College London
Hypothesis
What is the effect of health information from the Internet on the physician-patient relationship and healthcare quality?
Conclusion
Accurate online health information is beneficial, while inaccurate information can harm healthcare quality and the physician-patient relationship.
Supporting Evidence
- 85% of physicians experienced patients bringing Internet information to visits.
- Accurate information improved the physician-patient relationship, while inaccurate information harmed it.
- 38% of physicians felt that patient information made visits less time efficient.
Takeaway
Doctors think that good health information from the Internet can help patients, but bad information can make things worse.
Methodology
Cross-sectional survey of a nationally-representative sample of U.S. physicians.
Potential Biases
Physicians may feel challenged by patients bringing in information, which could affect their responses.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional, which limits the ability to determine causality.
Participant Demographics
The sample included a diverse range of U.S. physicians stratified by specialty and demographics.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 5.5-40.5
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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