[Predisposition of citizens to use Internet-based channels to communicate with doctors in Spain]

Analyze factors affecting the predisposition of Spanish citizens to use Internet-based communication channels (E-mail, blogs, social networks, and online recommendations).

Secondary data were analyzed by applying a boosted regression tree (BRT) to the results obtained from the survey "Use and Applications of Information and Communications Technology in Health," administered to a representative sample of the Spanish population between 16 and 85 years of age who use the Internet.

Model forecasts achieved different degrees of precision for each of the communication channels: for E-mail, AUC (area under the curve) = 0.79; for the physician's blog or personal website, AUC = 0.736; for social networks, AUC = 0.73; for recommendations of websites related to health problems, AUC = 0.768. Being young was the most important parameter in citizen predisposition to communicate through social networks (relative influence; RI = 21.05%), while population density was the most important parameter in likelihood that the physician would have a blog or personal health-related website (RI = 19.48%). Having a positive perception of the technology when facilitating health-related transactions was the most important characteristic in wanting to receive recommendations on health-related Internet resources (RI = 18.66%), while having a higher level of education was the best predictor of wanting to establish E-mail communication (RI = 18.98%).

Many of Spanish people are open to using physician-patient interaction channels on the Internet.