The Doctor-Patient Relationship in Canada

Three-quarters of Canadian Internet users claim to use the Web as a source of health-related information, with nearly two in ten saying they have asked their doctor to prescribe them medication they researched online or saw on television, according to a recent study from NFO CFgroup.

The Researching Medications Online study suggests that the Internet is changing the doctor-patient relationship - largely for the better.

'Informed patients are presumably going to be more inclined to take active roles in managing their health. Half of Canadian Internet users openly admit that health information available online makes them better prepared to discuss treatment options with their doctors,' says Michael Ennamorato, vice-president of NFO CFgroup.

The study found that six in ten online Canadians say they feel comfortable using drugs that their doctors recommend regardless of what they might have read about them on the Internet. However, 29 per cent say they are likely to stop taking prescribed medications based on negative reports that they find online.

'The Internet is not undermining the role of health care professionals in providing advice and care to Canadians. It is instead giving rise to online health users having a more informed, interactive relationship with their doctors,' says Ennamorato.
Among other findings:

• The most widely visited health Web sites are the health sections of major portals Sympatico.ca and Yahoo.ca, and Health Canada's website.
  
• Online Canadians who research prescription medications on the Internet do so mainly after visiting a doctor (52 per cent) and less often before a visit (13 per cent). Almost one-third of visits to sites about prescription medications are unrelated to visiting a doctor.
  
• The top three medical conditions researched online are depression, arthritis and diabetes. Just behind are allergies, migraine headaches, and heart conditions.
  
• Online Canadians are divided on the question of whether prescription medication advertising is a valuable source of health information. And the influence of such advertising on patients' comfort levels appears to be limited. About 16 per cent say they feel more confident using advertised prescription medications than unadvertised ones.

Researching Medications Online is part of NFO CFgroup's State-of-the-Net series of studies on the Internet marketplace in Canada. For the study, a survey was conducted using the firm's national weekly Internet omnibus service, NFO Fast Feedback. E-mail invitations were sent to 2,500 members of NFO CFgroup's Internet panel comprising 40,000 Canadian Internet users who have agreed to participate in survey research from time to time. In total, 1,005 online interviews were completed between April 10 and 17, a 40 per cent response rate. The survey results are nationally representative of the online Canadian adult population and are considered accurate to within 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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