Internet and Cybernedicine---A Study of Doctor-Patient Relaitonships

Use of the internet for health information continues to grow rapidly, but its impact on health care is not clear, particularly on doctor-patient relationships. People not only search health information on the internet, but also use 「ask the doctors」 service to increase the knowledge related to their own health problems. Thus, the aims of this study are (1) to analyze the doctor-patient in online medicine, (2) to investigate the impact of health information on the internet on the doctor-patient relationship. In this two-year study design, the first year both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods will be used to examine the on- line doctor-patient relationship. The second year, an in-depth interview will be applied to interview patients who have accessed the internet health information to understand how the use of internet health information influences their communication with their own doctors.

Project ID:PF9706-0518
External Project ID:NSC96-2412-H002-019-MY2