The role of the Internet in physician–patient relationships: The issue of trust
Section snippets
Surfing the healthcare Net
It is reported that the number of Internet users has increased more than 19-fold in the last 5 years (Vijayaraman & Bhatia, 2002). As this figure continues to grow, it is obvious that Internet use is also gaining acceptance as a viable tool by more and more businesses. Given that healthcare consumes $1.1 trillion annually or 13.5% of the U.S. gross domestic product (Gardner, 2000), it is not surprising that Internet use is gaining acceptance specifically within the healthcare industry. Once a
Consumer use of the Internet for healthcare information
Consumer desire for healthcare information on the Internet has been increasing for some time; as such, it is little surprise that the topic is accessed more often than sports, stocks, and shopping. A 2001 Harris Poll reported that almost 100 million American adults regularly go online for information about healthcare (Wilson, 2002); in fact, according to the American Medical Association, on any given day, more people access the Internet for medical advice than actually visit health
Trust and its implications for healthcare providers
The concept of trust in healthcare can be examined in countless settings. As this article focuses on the physician–patient relationship, we concentrate on the communication between a physician and his/her patients, and examine the following areas of inquiry.
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