Patient access to the Internet

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• The increasing digitalization of healthcare necessitates understanding patient access to online resources.
• Assessing Internet accessibility is crucial for developing effective digital health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Internet availability among patients at North Manchester General Hospital.
• To inform future patient information delivery methods.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team.
• Data collected from patients attending clinics between October and November over five years (1998-1999 data presented).

Main Results:

• In 1998-1999, three-quarters of surveyed patients could not access the Internet.
• A significant proportion of patients had no immediate plans to gain Internet access.

Conclusions:

• Low patient Internet access rates suggest a continued reliance on traditional information channels.
• Future strategies for patient information dissemination may need to consider the digital divide.