ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2006
Are physicians ready for patients with Internet-based health information?
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 77 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
77 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Physician Perspectives on Internet-Informed Patients: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Addressing overuse of health services in health systems: a critical interpretive synthesis.Health research policy and systems · 2018Pooled it
- Internet Health Information Seeking and the Patient-Physician Relationship: A Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Pooled it
- Patient education for neck pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2012Pooled it
- Importance of digital media in patient education for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.World journal of cardiology · 2026Trial
- Influence of Digital Literacy on Digital Health Usage Intention Among Patients With Cancer and Healthcare Providers.Journal of Korean medical science · 2026Article
- The Interplay Between Self-Determination and Cognitive Bias: Nonlinear Associations Between Myopia Control Knowledge Reserve and Parental Communication Preparedness.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Article
- Beyond the screen: exploring digital health experiences of individuals affected by psoriasis - a qualitative interview study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Exploring the Acceptance and Opportunities of Using a Specific Generative AI Chatbot to Assist Parents in Managing Pediatric Rheumatological Chronic Health Conditions: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- From Internet to Artificial Intelligence (Al) Bots: Symbiotic Evolutions of Digital Technologies and e-Patients.Journal of participatory medicine · 2025Article
- Laypeople's Use of and Attitudes Toward Large Language Models and Search Engines for Health Queries: Survey Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Evaluating ChatGPT's Utility in Medicine Guidelines Through Web Search Analysis.The Permanente journal · 2024Article
- Information Sharing in Neurosurgery Topics Among Pediatric Patients and Loved Ones Within the Reddit Community.Cureus · 2024Article
- How Information Affects Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Scoping Review of the Literature.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2024Article
- Impact of Digital Media on the Patient Journey and Patient-Physician Relationship Among Dermatologists and Adult Patients With Skin Diseases: Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Digital health information on surgical treatment options for overactive bladder is underrepresented.World journal of urology · 2023Article
- What Patients Find on the Internet When Looking for Information About Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Multilanguage Cross-sectional Assessment.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Laypeople's Online Health Information Search Strategies and Use for Health-Related Problems: Cross-sectional Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Surgical mesh information on YouTubeCanadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada · 2022Article
- Hand It to Dr Google: The Quality of Online Information on Ganglion Cysts.Hand (New York, N.Y.) · 2022Article
17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAn increasing number of patients bring Internet-based health information to medical consultations. However, little is known about how physicians experience, manage, and view these patients.
objectiveThis study aimed to advance the understanding of the effects of incorporating Internet-based health information into routine medical consultations from physicians' perspectives, using a qualitative approach.
methodsSix focus groups were conducted with 48 family physicians practising in Toronto. The data were analyzed using qualitative methods of content analysis and constant comparison, derived from grounded theory approach.
resultsThree overarching themes were identified: (1) perceived reactions of patients, (2) physician burden, and (3) physician interpretation and contextualization of information. Physicians in our study generally perceived Internet-based health information as problematic when introduced by patients during medical consultations. They believed that Internet information often generated patient misinformation, leading to confusion, distress, or an inclination towards detrimental self-diagnosis and/or self-treatment. Physicians felt these influences added a new interpretive role to their clinical responsibilities. Although most of the physicians felt obliged to carry out this new responsibility, the additional role was often unwelcome. Despite identifying various reactions of patients to Internet-based health information, physicians in our study were unprepared to handle these patients.
conclusionEffective initiatives at the level of the health care system are needed. The potential of Internet-based health information to lead to better physician-patient communication and patient outcomes could be facilitated by promoting physician acknowledgment of increasing use of the Internet among patients and by developing patient management guidelines and incentives for physicians.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.