Low Internet use among patients with diabetes in a safety-net population

Internet-based strategies can improve chronic care management. These strategies assume Internet access and usage. This questionnaire-based study finds that 16% of "safety-net" patients with diabetes use the Internet. This is much lower than prior estimates, which may have been subject to sampling bias. Other findings include interest in mobile phone strategies. Subgroup differences exist based on language and education level. Providers should be cautious to adopt Internet-based strategies too quickly in safety-net populations.