Patient use of the Internet for health care information in Switzerland.

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State: Public
Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_32439
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Patient use of the Internet for health care information in Switzerland.
Journal
Swiss medical weekly
Author(s)
Jeannot J.G., Froehlich F., Wietlisbach V., Burnand B., Terraz O., Vader J.P.
ISSN
1424-7860 (Print)
ISSN-L
0036-7672
Publication state
Published
Issued date
29/05/2004
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
134
Number
21-22
Pages
307-312
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine for the first time the frequency of Internet use for medical purposes by patients in Switzerland.
In 2001 over a period of one month, 1604 patients at 8 medical practices in Switzerland completed a self-administered questionnaire on their access to the Internet and any search for medical information using this media. The attending physician supplied the patient's diagnosis and information on the severity of the disorder motivating the visit using a separate questionnaire.
46% of the patients included in the study had a personal computer, 33% had an Internet connection and 10% used the Internet to find medical information. Age was inversely associated with the probability of having an Internet access, whereas educational level and command of the English language were factors directly associated with this. Among those patients with access to the Internet, young adults (25 to 44 years) and those with knowledge of the English language searched for medical information significantly more frequently. Furthermore, patients attending urban medical practices and those with a more severe level of disease more often sought health care information on the Internet.
The proportion of patients in Switzerland who search for medical information on the Internet is similar to the rates observed in European English-speaking countries. The Internet allows patients to actively search for information concerning their own health problems but is not currently the most common source of information used by patients. Since health professionals generate, directly or indirectly, most of the medical information published on the Internet, additional research is needed to better understand patients' needs and expectations concerning medical information using this media.

Keywords
Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Information Services/utilization, Internet/utilization, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Education as Topic/methods, Patient Participation/statistics & numerical data, Patient Satisfaction, Surveys and Questionnaires, Switzerland
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
19/11/2007 12:31
Last modification date
20/08/2019 13:17
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