How the Internet influences the relationship between outpatients and gastroenterologists: A multicenter study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The Internet offers a lot of non-filtered medical information which may interfere with the patient-doctor relationship. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of the Internet on the classical doctor-patient relationship in gastroenterological outpatient settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter study was conducted, including a representative sample selected from five major regional medical centers throughout Romania. We designed a questionnaire which had two parts. One had to be filled out by adult patients on their first visit to a gastroenterology clinic and the other by physicians, stating the diagnosis and giving a doctor-patient collaboration score. RESULTS: From a total of 485 patients (49.9% females, mean age 50.42 years), 64.9% had Internet access, 75% out of whom searched for their symptoms online. University graduates searched for their symptoms online more often than secondary school graduates (80% vs. 31.1%, p<0.05). Most patients stated that they used the Internet to identify the most appropriate medical specialist for their condition. Internet users were less likely to visit a general practitioner (GP) before coming to a specialist (85.3% vs. 92.2%, odds ratio (OR) 0.491, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.98, p<0.05). Patients who had searched for their symptoms online were less likely to follow the treatment prescribed by the GP (53.6% vs. 67.5%, p=0.004), but they received a better collaboration score (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.36, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Internet exerts a positive influence on specialist doctor-patient relationship, but it might burden the health system with the incorrect tendency to replace the role of the GP.