According to a recent survey, nearly 75% of all Internet users have used the Web to find information about health conditions or medications. What in the world are they finding, and where are they finding it? Will web-based healthcare replace the traditional doctor's office visit? Most experts say no, but with the average appointment now lasting a mere eight minutes, something has to change! Many patients and providers are turning to the Internet for help.

Consumers visit health and fitness websites like www.healthanswers.com or www.fitnessonline.com to find information on mental and physical health, exercise, nutrition, or consult online with health and fitness experts. Alternative medicine sites such as www.askdrweil.com provide information about vitamins, acupuncture, aromatherapy and other therapeutic alternatives.

Most health information seekers want to learn about specific diseases or medications - for themselves or their loved ones. They search sites like www.mediconsult.com or www.intelihealth.com to find news on topics of interest.

Some health sites offer information for consumer groups. For example, www.familydoctor.org, sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, offers health facts for families, while www.drgreene.com provides pediatric tips about bedwetting, breast-feeding, ear infections and immunizations. Several sites are excellent resources for caregivers, such as www.carethere.com. Such sites explain financial, legal and insurance issues and offer help for finding assisted living or home care for loved ones anywhere in the nation.

For those who are tired of filling shoeboxes with insurance claim statements and medication records, online personal health records are becoming popular. Some sites, like www.4healthylife.com, enable the user to store medical histories, health assessments and disease management tools for every member of the family, including family pets!

Those who want to find a new health insurance plan or healthcare provider can identify either and request services directly via the Internet. For example, www.ehealthinsurance.com enables the curious to compare health plans and insurance companies, get instant price quotes and apply right online. The American Medical Association's website, www.ama-assn.org helps find a physician either by name search or through medical specialty. A listing of more than 41,000 clinical trials that are actively recruiting patients can be viewed at www.centerwatch.com.

For those traveling out of town or who can't leave work to seek medical advice, www.cyberdocs.com is staffed by board-certified physicians who will audio-conference with the cyber-patient or interact via e-mail, even arrange delivery of prescription medications almost anywhere in the world. The latter is a popular service for those traveling abroad.
The Web can also help anyone who is not sure about the quality of a physician, dentist, hospital or health plan. Sites such as www.healthgrades.com provide objective quality ratings of providers and plans.

Many sites are designed especially for e-commerce for shoppers who want to buy health and beauty products online. Online pharmacies like www.cvs.com sell everything on would find in a drugstore and more. Merck-Medco, a pharmacy benefit plan, has teamed with Reader's Digest to offer discounts on prescription medications for $25 per year ($40 per family) at www.yourxplan.com. The service also tracks medications to help consumers avoid risk of drug interactions, remind them it's time for a refill, and alert them to news about their medications.
Websites for people with chronic conditions are also becoming popular. For example, www.mswatch.com helps thousands of people with multiple sclerosis learn about the disease, keep a diary of injection site rotations, track future doctor appointments, participate in online discussions, and seek answers from experts.

No, the Web won't replace personal interaction with medical professionals, but it is becoming a convenient source of information and a timesaving tool for both patients and providers. The microwave didn't replace conventional ovens, and television didn't replace radios. But just as we can't imagine the world without microwaves and televisions, our children and grandchildren won't be able to imagine healthcare without the Web.

Mindi McKenna, Ph.D. is CEO of eHealthCoach, a company
that helps medical professionals decide how to use the Internet by publishing a newsletter, consulting, speaking and writing on eHealth trends. Phone: 816.942.2859
e-mail: mmckenna@eHealthCoach.com