Doctors and patients view the importance of the internet’s role in health information differently:
Even for their patients, let alone for themselves, few physicians view the Internet/Websites as extremely or very important in learning about medications/diseases.In actuality, however, for the majority of patients the Internet/Websites play a critical role in learning about medications/diseases.
Related posts:
- Internet vs physician
- Internet cafes and unsafe sex
- Internet support groups
- Op-ed: Wikipedia isn’t really the patient’s friend
- Using Wikipedia for online health information, my USA Today column
- Disconnect
- Internet medicine: The next frontier
KevinMD.com on Facebook
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There are multiple reasons for this “digital divide.” First, there are very few completely reliable websites for patients to turn to. Most sites are overtly or covertly trying to sell something. If there was an MD “seal of approval” on a site this might help. Second, patients will often bring in information from the web to an appointment. Personally, I don’t mind this because it can be the start of a conversation about their health care. The down side is the potential time in an already short appointment that it might take to explain why this treatment/disease/supplement they found on the Net does not apply to them.
Finally, online physician-patient communication could be a wonderful way to supplement face to face visits. However, in general, insurances are unwilling to reimburse this, and patients (for now) are not willing to pay out of pocket for this service.
http://www.drmintz.com
As a newly diagnosed diabetic 10 years ago, the internet has saved me from diabetes-related complications. From a diabetic support group on the internet I learned not to accept my endocrinologist’s comment that a “A1C of 7″ is a goal but we don’t expect you to reach it” On the internet I learned how to get my BGs down to nondiabetic levels and I credit the internet with the fact that I have no diabetic complications now.
Diabetes is a disease best managed by the patient. Standard dosing of insulin, as prescribed by most doctors, simply does not work. Matching insulin to carbs does work. But most doctors don’t have time to teach patients how to do this; it’s very labor intensive. I learned how to do it thanks to the internet.
The key to good control is frequent testing and making adjustments as necessary. Diabetics need to test more than the 2 or 3 times a day prescribed by most docs in order to make adjustments in their diet and/or meds.
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