Use of the Internet by patients: not a threat to nursing, but an opportunity?

The Internet poses numerous challenges for health care professionals. A significant one is the way in which patients, clients and carers now have access to large amounts of unfiltered, specialized health information, much of which was, hitherto, solely the province of the professionals. The specific problems that this poses, in terms of the effect that it might have on the therapeutic relationship, are discussed, along with some of the proposed solutions, such as the National Electronic Library for Health initiative and NHS Direct Online. Since this change is inevitable, it is recommended that nurses should seek to build on their role as educators of patients and carers. One of the ways in which they can do this is by guiding patients' and carers' use of the Internet, and helping them to evaluate the information that they find.