New vital sign: degree of patient's online access

Published Feb. 22, 2011 at 12:52 a.m.
Patient use of the internet has moved beyond what physicians used to refer to as Dr. Google -- the stacks of information printed from a Google search that patients would bring to the exam room.

So much of health care is moving online that many physicians assume that everyone uses the internet.

But that assumption could lead to patients missing out on important information, or being unable to access certain tools. So experts and analysts recommend that doctors start asking their patients whether they have internet access -- or whether a loved one or advocate does.


Back | Read more at Pew Internet