SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2017
Internet Health Information Seeking and the Patient-Physician Relationship: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 445 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
445 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Relation Between eHealth Literacy and Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and predictors of medical information avoidance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Digital pathways to healthcare: a systematic review for unveiling the trends and insights in online health information-seeking behavior.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Physician Perspectives on Internet-Informed Patients: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Assessment of the Arabic patient-centered online information about orthodontic pain: A quality and readability assessment.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- The Characteristics, Uses, and Biases of Studies Related to Malignancies Using Google Trends: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- When People With Chronic Conditions Turn to Peers on Social Media to Obtain and Share Information: Systematic Review of the Implications for Relationships With Health Care Professionals.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Consulting Dr. Google: Two experimental studies on seeking mental health information online.Internet interventions · 2026Article
- What Resources Are Available for Parents Online? A Readability, Quality, and Source Evaluation of Website and AI-Generated Content on Inherited Pediatric Orthopaedic Conditions.Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · 2026Article
- Digital Engagement in Healthcare: The Influence of Internet Use and Social Media on Messaging Providers, Viewing Test Results, and Scheduling Appointments.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Gestational diabetes mellitus and disordered eating behaviours: A qualitative study of online forum discussions.Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association · 2026Article
- Comparative Evaluation of Large Language Models in Responding to Common Misconceptions Regarding Periodontal Disease and Oral Hygiene.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Digital Health Information Use, Trust, and Language-Related Disparities in Health Literacy in South Tyrol, Italy: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Evaluating the reliability and quality of lupus nephritis educational content on TikTok and Bilibili: a cross-sectional content analysis.Lupus science & medicine · 2026Article
- Generative AI Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Risk, and Physician Burnout and Fulfillment Among Chinese Physicians: Mixed Methods Multiregional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Article
- Online Andrology: Real-World Status Quo of Patients' Online Information Sources and Comparison With Large Language Models in Germany.Andrology · 2026Article
- The 20 most influential papers produced in the past decade by seven major spinal journals on both altmetric and bibliometric databases.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Large Language Models as Health Information Tools: Patient Use and Trust in Otolaryngology.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2026Article
- Advice and Information About Toothbrushing as Available on Websites of Professional Dental Care Associations.International journal of dental hygiene · 2026Article
385 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
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWith online health information becoming increasingly popular among patients, concerns have been raised about the impact of patients' Internet health information-seeking behavior on their relationship with physicians. Therefore, it is pertinent to understand the influence of online health information on the patient-physician relationship.
objectiveOur objective was to systematically review existing research on patients' Internet health information seeking and its influence on the patient-physician relationship.
methodsWe systematically searched PubMed and key medical informatics, information systems, and communication science journals covering the period of 2000 to 2015. Empirical articles that were in English were included. We analyzed the content covering themes in 2 broad categories: factors affecting patients' discussion of online findings during consultations and implications for the patient-physician relationship.
resultsWe identified 18 articles that met the inclusion criteria and the quality requirement for the review. The articles revealed barriers, facilitators, and demographic factors that influence patients' disclosure of online health information during consultations and the different mechanisms patients use to reveal these findings. Our review also showed the mechanisms in which online information could influence patients' relationship with their physicians.
conclusionsResults of this review contribute to the understanding of the patient-physician relationship of Internet-informed patients. Our main findings show that Internet health information seeking can improve the patient-physician relationship depending on whether the patient discusses the information with the physician and on their prior relationship. As patients have better access to health information through the Internet and expect to be more engaged in health decision making, traditional models of the patient-provider relationship and communication strategies must be revisited to adapt to this changing demographic.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.