Gold Coast general practitioners' recommendations of health websites to their patients.
OBJECTIVE
To identify trends associated with health website recommendations by selected general practitioners to their patients.


METHODS
Quantitative data collection using a prepaid postal survey, consisting of 17 questions, mailed to 250 of 410 GPs (61%) on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The survey was conducted between 9 October and 11 December 2006.


METHODS
GPs' website recommendations to patients; associated GP demographic variables (age, sex and years of practice).


RESULTS
59% (64/108) of participating GPs recommend health websites to their patients during consultations. Male GPs (63%, 45/72), those aged 41-50 years (55%, 35/64), and those practising for < 10 years (60%, 12/20) are more inclined to recommend a health website to a patient. The majority of GPs (69%, 44/64) reported that they most often recommended websites to patients 26-45 years old. 53% of GPs (34/64) recommended websites to 1%-20% of their male patients, while 47% (30/64) recommended websites to 21%-40% of their female patients. A greater proportion of participating female GPs (47%, 17/36) do not recommend health websites, compared with male GPs (38%, 27/72).


CONCLUSIONS
More than half the surveyed GPs actively recommend websites to their patients, with a GP's sex, age and years of experience influencing his or her recommendation decisions. Web-based continuing medical education courses or programs in medical schools may help doctors develop the skills necessary for the delivery of effective e-health care.
Usher
Wayne T
WT
Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. w.usher@griffith.edu.au
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011793:Queensland; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires