The explosion in computer and Internet use is transforming the delivery of health information. Consumers now have the same information available to providers and this availability has the potential to change the relationship between patient and provider, alter the ways they communicate and create a consumer power base in health policy decision making. The Internet is also likely to shape personal perceptions of health, patients’ compliance to treatment protocols and ultimately, overall health.
Very little research has been done, however, to assess the relationship between Internet use and patient efficacy, behavior and health status. This presentation will provide an overview of those studies using interactive technology, by separating those using computer networks from those using computers as an educational tool. Computer network studies provide a microcosm of what the possible effects the use of the Internet might have on the public but they have not been widely examined as a viable tool to establish research criteria. Examination of these studies can help health educators and policy makers create an agenda for future directions in public health. As we move into the next century it will be important not only to embrace the changes in technology that will enable us to educate in new ways but to acknowledge that these new technologies will change how people see themselves as agents of their health. The challenge is to understand how this occurs before the technology becomes socially entrenched, leaving health educators and public health policy makers behind playing "catch up".
Learning Objectives: 1. To understand the relationship of current computer studies to the possible effect of Internet health information use on patient populations. 2. To identify future research criteria to assess the impact of the Internet on patient populations
Keywords: Health Behavior, Health Communications
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.