The number of patients who go online for their healthcare information is widespread and growing. Although this trend is frequently reported, less well known is the vast increase in internet use by physicians, and the possible implications.
In 2000, only one doctor in five said that the internet was essential to their practice, according to Manhattan Research, a healthcare market research firm. By 2009, however, the figure was almost 90%.
Many of the reasons for the increase are obvious. Doctors are using the internet as a more efficient way to do what they have always done—access journals, interact with pharmaceutical companies, and even attend virtual conferences. But, more surprisingly, the internet is also changing the way in which doctors learn and practice.
In a 2009 survey, Medimix International, a market researcher, found that 34% of physicians in the United States, the European Union, Mexico and Brazil were members of at least one social networking site. Most used general sites such as Facebook, but America in particular had seen the rise of physician-only sites such as Sermo, Ozmosis and Medscape Physician Connect. Nurses and physician assistants, meanwhile, are logging on to their own specialist sites, such as Clinician 1.
The technology behind these specialist networks has given medical professionals a secure environment in which to consult with a massively expanded group of peers and colleagues about a range of issues and cases. The websites’ managers face some logistical problems—such as verifying that all members are doctors—but the number of users continues to grow. Manhattan Research found that participation on such sites nearly doubled in the US between 2008 and 2009. Physician Connect and Sermo, for example, each have more than 100,000 members. Even in China, 10% of physicians already use such sites—the country’s Good Doctor’s Forum reports more than 400,000 members.
As they grow, online groups have given their members a new degree of power and a new way in which to express themselves. Sermo, for example, felt sufficiently confident last July to break its links with the American Medical Association (AMA) over a difference of opinion on healthcare reform, claiming that the AMA—with its 236,000 members—was no longer representative of the profession.
With so many doctors and patients now going online, it is surprising how little they talk to one another when they get there. Most of the doctor-patient discussion in cyberspace is about online information. But the value of those conversations is in question—patients are often reluctant to tell doctors about the medical information they find online, according to Lisa Gualtieri, an adjunct clinical professor at US-based Tufts University School of Medicine.
Doctors are also starting to use the internet as one of their tools when talking to patients. A 2008 survey for Epocrates, a drug interaction software company, found that nearly 50% of doctors now use the internet during consultations. This had the surprising effect of boosting patients’ confidence, the survey found.
Nevertheless, fewer than 40% of American doctors communicate with their patients via e-mail, instant messaging or secure messaging. But with both medical professionals and patients becoming increasingly reliant on technology, it is only a matter of time before it fundamentally transforms their interaction. American Well, an online care system, is providing online consultations with physicians and specialists to members of four health plans in the United States. NowClinic offers a similar service to anyone in Texas for a US$45 fee, and is planning to roll out across the US soon.
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