Does general practice Google?

BACKGROUND: Searching websites during consultations with patients has been anecdotally reported to be useful by some medical practitioners. We aimed to investigate how and to what extent medical practitioners use the internet to aid clinical consultations. METHODS: A descriptive study of general pra...

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Main Authors: Sim, Moira, Khong, Eric, Jiwa, Moyez
Format: Journal Article
Published: The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners 2008
Online Access:http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200806/24939
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/41758
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author Sim, Moira
Khong, Eric
Jiwa, Moyez
author_facet Sim, Moira
Khong, Eric
Jiwa, Moyez
author_sort Sim, Moira
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description BACKGROUND: Searching websites during consultations with patients has been anecdotally reported to be useful by some medical practitioners. We aimed to investigate how and to what extent medical practitioners use the internet to aid clinical consultations. METHODS: A descriptive study of general practitioners in the Osborne Division of General Practice, Perth, Western Australia (N=132), using a postal questionnaire sent in May and June 2007. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of those surveyed had broadband access. The majority used the computer for clinical tasks such as prescribing, ordering tests and writing letters. Fifty-six percent used the internet during consultations. The search engine 'Google' was the most commonly cited website. The most frequently mentioned reason for internet use was finding medical information for patients. DISCUSSION: Computers are now available in most general practices. The internet has impacted upon the traditional doctor-patient relationship. More research is needed into how GPs can better search and use the information available on the internet.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2008
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-417582017-01-30T14:55:11Z Does general practice Google? Sim, Moira Khong, Eric Jiwa, Moyez BACKGROUND: Searching websites during consultations with patients has been anecdotally reported to be useful by some medical practitioners. We aimed to investigate how and to what extent medical practitioners use the internet to aid clinical consultations. METHODS: A descriptive study of general practitioners in the Osborne Division of General Practice, Perth, Western Australia (N=132), using a postal questionnaire sent in May and June 2007. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of those surveyed had broadband access. The majority used the computer for clinical tasks such as prescribing, ordering tests and writing letters. Fifty-six percent used the internet during consultations. The search engine 'Google' was the most commonly cited website. The most frequently mentioned reason for internet use was finding medical information for patients. DISCUSSION: Computers are now available in most general practices. The internet has impacted upon the traditional doctor-patient relationship. More research is needed into how GPs can better search and use the information available on the internet. 2008 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/41758 http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200806/24939 The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners fulltext
spellingShingle Sim, Moira
Khong, Eric
Jiwa, Moyez
Does general practice Google?
title Does general practice Google?
title_full Does general practice Google?
title_fullStr Does general practice Google?
title_full_unstemmed Does general practice Google?
title_short Does general practice Google?
title_sort does general practice google?
url http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200806/24939
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/41758