Patients using internet information to challenge, question doctors

A new report has found that "the Internet is changing not just the way patients get medical information, but the way they interact with doctors." (Source: "Patients Turn to the Internet for Health Information," NPR Morning Edition, Oct. 11, 2007.) According to the report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, "Fully 86% of internet users living with disability or chronic illness have looked online for information about at least one of 17 health topics, compared with 79% of internet users with no chronic conditions." (Source: "E-patients With a Disability or Chronic Disease" report, accessed Oct. 11, 2007.) In addition, people with disabilities and chronic health conditions who look up health information are more likely to use that knowledge to challenge or question a doctor about their treatment options.

The NPR article on the report says that when patients first began to use the internet to research health information, "the American Medical Association sent out a press release asking patients to make a New Year's resolution not to go online." Now doctors are beginning to accept that patients will study their health issues online. However, not all of the info patients find is useful and people can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of available information. "You find contradictory information. You don't know who to believe," says Robert Hawkins of the University of Wisconsin. "It's a very chaotic, tough world out there on the Internet on health."