Disadvantaged patient groups are limited in their use of online health
information, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical
Informatics Association (www.jamia.org/cgi/content/abstract/M1460v1). The
study also found that most people who use the Internet or e-mail also use
the Web to search for health information, and that patients with commercial
insurance are more likely to search for health information online.

The study, which looked at Internet use patterns of 315 patients at three
urban primary clinics in New York state, was conducted during June and July,
2003. Of the 53% of respondents who had used the Internet or e-mail in the
past year, 68% used it to search for health information, according to the
study. Patients most commonly searched for information about a physical
illness, nutrition or fitness. Nearly 30% of those surveyed said they
accessed the Internet through a family member, neighbor or friend, which
"suggests that many patients are willing to spend extra time and energy to
better understand information about specific illness[es], health care
providers and general wellness," according to the study.

The study said it was unclear what the link was between patients seeking
health information and the purpose of the clinical visit, such as whether
patents were researching health conditions or diagnoses before or after
their visits. Results show that Web users are more likely to be younger,
better educated and employed, which is consistent with earlier findings,
according to the study. The study also found that patients with chronic
illnesses were not more likely to search for health information online,
which is "inconsistent with earlier research" (Dickerson et al., Journal of
the American Medical Informatics Association, 8/6).

Mark Duman
health communications consultant
UK Mobile: 07980 686 519
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