Dr. Google: Knowledge Versus Expertise
A recent article by NPR confirmed what many patients and doctors already know. The internet is leveling the playing field and allows individuals to access information easier and more quickly. Research by Pew Internet and American Life Project found:
- 61 percent of adults say they look online for health information – known as e-patients
- 20 percent of e-patients go to Internet and social-networking sites where they can talk to medical experts and other patients
- 39 percent of e-patients already use a social-networking site like Facebook
Yet as individuals embrace new technology, the New England Journal of Medicine found earlier this year that only 17 percent of doctors use electronic medical records. To say doctors are conservative and slow in adapting to new ways of communicating and accessing information would be an understatement. An article in TIME magazine proclaimed “Email Your Doctor” which graced newsstands in 1998! Email communications with doctors is still the exception rather than the rule. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
