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Report: Internet health info facilitates physician-patient relationships

EHR Connection, April 9, 2007

The National Cancer Institute recently studied how consumer access to online heath information can change patients' perceptions of their physicians. Cancer patients who are just beginning to use the Internet to find information distrust their physician's advice, according to the study. But the more often patients used online information services, the more satisfied they became with their care. In other words, the more they learn, the more they trust, because the information online ends up validating physicians' advice.

Therefore, referring patients to high quality information about their illness on the Internet may improve the physician-patient relationship, according to the authors of the study. The Center for Connected Health is one of the few health institutions attempting this kind of physician-patient extension, and so far, it reports good results. Cleveland Clinic also is using blogs and podcasts in teaching scenarios and is looking at using them to deliver timely information to the physician at the bedside, but has yet to incorporate physician-patient interaction. Go to HINTS for more information on the report.

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