title: Internet usage for health information by patients with epilepsy in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most patients with epilepsy report a desire for more information on the disease and possible treatments than provided by clinicians. In the past two decades, many have turned to the internet for information, but this information is of variable accuracy and objectivity. We assessed the prevalence of internet use for gathering information about epilepsy and patient satisfaction in a sample of epilepsy patients in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted using a standard anonymous questionnaire that gathered demographic information and information on internet use. The reasons for using the internet, the sites visited, general satisfaction with the information provided, and impact on self-management were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 780 patients studied, 288 (36.9%) had internet access and 73% of these participants reported searching for general information on epilepsy, 64% for treatment information, 30% to prepare for actual hospital visits, 12% to communicate with other patients, 5% for purchasing products for epilepsy management, and 6% for other reasons. All of the participants used search engines. However, only 6% browsed websites recommended by their doctors and 96.8% thought the information gathered from other sites was inadequate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The internet holds great potential for informing epileptic patients about their disease and to seek social support. Governments, hospitals, doctors, and internet service providers must collaborate to ensure that this information is reliable and beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Bayi Brain Hospital, The Military General Hospital of Beijing People's Liberation Army, No. 5, Nan Men Cang, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhiliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Man
authors.forename: Ruxiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Epilepsy; Health information; Internet; Self-management