title: European citizens' use of E-health services: a study of seven countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  European citizens are increasingly being offered Internet health services. This study investigated patterns of health-related Internet use, its consequences, and citizens' expectations about their doctors' provision of e-health services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Representative samples were obtained from the general populations in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Latvia. The total sample consisted of 7934 respondents. Interviews were conducted by telephone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  44 % of the total sample, 71 % of the Internet users, had used the Internet for health purposes. Factors that positively affected the use of Internet for health purposes were youth, higher education, white-collar or no paid job, visits to the GP during the past year, long-term illness or disabilities, and a subjective assessment of one's own health as good. Women were the most active health users among those who were online. One in four of the respondents used the Internet to prepare for or follow up doctors' appointments. Feeling reassured after using the Internet for health purposes was twice as common as experiencing anxieties. When choosing a new doctor, more than a third of the sample rated the provision of e-health services as important.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The users of Internet health services differ from the general population when it comes to health and demographic variables. The most common way to use the Internet in health matters is to read information, second comes using the net to decide whether to see a doctor and to prepare for and follow up on doctors' appointments. Hence, health-related use of the Internet does affect patients' use of other health services, but it would appear to supplement rather than to replace other health services.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine, University Hospital of Northern Norway, Tromsø, Norway. hege.andreassen@telemed.no
authors.forename: Hege K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Andreassen
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bujnowska-Fedak
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Chronaki
authors.forename: Roxana C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Dumitru
authors.forename: Iveta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pudule
authors.forename: Silvina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Voss
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wynn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*