WILD WIDE WEB: INTERNET IN OBTAINING INFORMATION ON DEGENERATIVE LUMBAR SPINE DISEASE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON DECISION MAKING

Abstract

Patients had traditionally relied on health care professionals for advice and treatment options for most orthopaedic conditions including degenerative lumbar spine disease. However the unprecedented access to heath care information offered by the internet is changing the way how patients gather information and make treatment choices.

Aims & Methods: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the internet on patients presenting to orthopaedic clinics with degenerative lumbar spine disease and its influence on decision making.

A power calculation was done to determine appropriate sample size needed for the study. Questionnaires were handed to willing patients who were attending back clinic for more 6 months and diagnosed to have degenerative lumbar spine disease.

Each participant filled a 25 point survey and a total of 105 surveys were collected.

Results: Out of the 79% who had access to the internet, 55% accessed it from home which is in comparison to the national statistics of 57%. The rest of 24% access internet at other places. Internet usage was found to be directly proportional to education and earnings with 100% in professionals and then dropping significantly. 80% living in urban areas used internet to access health information. Topics commonly searched include causes (74%), symptoms (70%), treatment/surgical options (82%). Only few people looked at the choice of surgeons (30%) and hospitals (30%) as the practice is mostly NHS based. Around 50% made clinical decisions based on their search. 86% used general search engines like yahoo, google, 14% used sites like med line, NHS. UK. Health professionals had more influence in decision making than internet (80%).

Conclusions: Internet is evolving as a powerful source of health information and influencing more an more patients in clinical decision making with a 5% growth in internet usage every year (national statistics).