title: Patient use of the Internet for health care information in Switzerland.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine for the first time the frequency of Internet use for medical purposes by patients in Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2001 over a period of one month, 1604 patients at 8 medical practices in Switzerland completed a self-administered questionnaire on their access to the Internet and any search for medical information using this media. The attending physician supplied the patient's diagnosis and information on the severity of the disorder motivating the visit using a separate questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  46% of the patients included in the study had a personal computer, 33% had an Internet connection and 10% used the Internet to find medical information. Age was inversely associated with the probability of having an Internet access, whereas educational level and command of the English language were factors directly associated with this. Among those patients with access to the Internet, young adults (25 to 44 years) and those with knowledge of the English language searched for medical information significantly more frequently. Furthermore, patients attending urban medical practices and those with a more severe level of disease more often sought health care information on the Internet.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of patients in Switzerland who search for medical information on the Internet is similar to the rates observed in European English-speaking countries. The Internet allows patients to actively search for information concerning their own health problems but is not currently the most common source of information used by patients. Since health professionals generate, directly or indirectly, most of the medical information published on the Internet, additional research is needed to better understand patients' needs and expectations concerning medical information using this media.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland. jean-gabriel.jeannot@ne.ch
authors.forename: Jean-Gabriel
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Jeannot
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Froehlich
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wietlisbach
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burnand
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Terraz
authors.forename: John-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vader
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland