An educative genitourinary medicine clinic website: value to users and impact on service demand

In 2004, the Newcastle genitourinary medicine clinic launched a new website. To assess its value to users and impact on service demand, we surveyed those attending the clinic with a new episode between September and December 2005 by a questionnaire. One hundred and fifteen of 601 respondents (19%) visited the website. Fifty-nine percent of users were men with those aged between 35 and 44 ranking the highest percentage (31.7%) among those who visited the website. Fourteen (12.5%) would not have attended if they had not visited the website. One hundred and two (88.7%) found it easy to use and 81 (70.4%) looked for specific information of whom 73 (89%) were successful. Web users were more likely to present with an episode not requiring treatment possibly indicating increased demand promoted by our prevention information but less likely to have bacterial vaginosis, anaerobic balanitis and anogenital candidosis (not statistically significant).