Using the Internet to empower patients and to develop partnerships with clinicians

In combination with computerized and networked information systems, the Internet is poised to significantly alter many aspects of the clinician-patient relationship. In this paper, the clinician-patient relationships of cybermedicine are conceptualized as an elaboration of the democratizing power of the information age. This paper identifies common applications of what is known as cybermedicine and e-health and examines the implications of the Internet for the clinician-patient relationship, addressing concerns about standards of care, clinician duties, and interpersonal communication. It also looks at both the role of HIPAA legislation in shaping the clinician-patient relationships of cybermedicine and the economic issues involved with health websites. Further, the argument that an informational model for the clinician-patient relationships of cybermedicine would be appropriate as a normative framework is put forth. The article concludes that even though we should cautious and judicious in our adoption of various forms of cybermedicine, the Internet has the potential to create the conditions necessary for a real partnership between patients and clinicians and to improve patient care and health outcomes.