Attitudes of Iranian patients with skin problems towards using the Internet as a medical resource

Internet use has grown rapidly in Iran, but there is no information about how Iranian Internet users gather medical information through this medium.

To study the use of the Internet as a medical resource by Iranian patients with chronic dermatologic problems.

We carried out a structured interview of all patients 20-40 years of age attending a private dermatology clinic between July and September 2003 for chronic skin disease.

Of the 205 patients enrolled in the study, 104 (50.8%) had computer access and 74 (36.1% of the total) had Internet access. Nine patients (4.4%) had performed a search on the Internet for their skin condition, but only one had used an academic website.

Despite the significant growth in Internet use in Iran, it appears that the Internet is not a significant medical resource for patients in Iran.