Article

OBJECTIVE: To identify the demographics, search characteristics, and attitudes of
chronic-pain patients who access online pain-related medical information. DESIGN:
This is a cross-sectional survey study. RESULTS: Ninety percent of patients had
access to the Internet; 63% of patients used the Internet to obtain online
pain-related medical information, of which 57% and 55% believed that the
information was "useful" and "credible," respectively. Ninety-five percent of
current online pain-related medical information users and 52% of nonusers planned
to use the Internet in the future to obtain online pain-related medical
information. Only half of our subjects ever shared the information found on
Internet with their treating healthcare provider.
A large proportion of chronic-pain patients use the Internet to obtain online pain-related medical
information. This behavior was found to show significant correlation with
patients' level of education. Despite multiple previous studies suggesting
inaccurate and low quality of online medical information, most of the patients
felt confident in the credibility of online pain-related medical information
obtained. Furthermore, many patients choose not to share this information with
their healthcare providers. Healthcare providers must acknowledge the growing
importance of Internet-based health information, be prepared to entertain
questions and assist patients in evaluating the quality of online pain-related
medical information, and possibly proactively suggest quality third-party
pain-related websites.

Langue : ANGLAIS