"Canadian MDs embracing online culture"

[Guest Ian Wong]

Here's an interesting article in today's Vancouver Sun, discussing how a study conducted by the CMA shows that 17% of Canadian doctors have a website for their practice, and that another 7% (for a total of 24%) were planning to add one by the end of the year.

 

I think one of the great risks inherent with putting up such a website is controlling the contents within it. Unless you are willing to put in the time to develop a website and put in only information you have written and produced yourself, you are going to need outside help.

 

That outside help can either come from articles that you copy and paste onto your website (ie. from Health Canada, the Merck Manual, etc), but for this to happen you'll need to get permission from these folks. The only other way to do it would be to link your website to Health Canada or the Merck Manual, and the trouble then becomes that you have no control over what sites THOSE websites are linked to.

 

I can very easily envision a future where a family doctor links to a credible website on something like diabetes or hypertension, and then in just a few more clicks, a trusting patient ends up on a website advertising magnetism as a cure for diabetes, or an unproven herbal supplement for heart disease, etc. Who then takes responsibility for that patient?

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

 

www.canada.com/news/story...3CEA41177}

 

Study suggests Canadian MDs embracing online culture, launching Web sites

 

ANGELA PACIENZA

Canadian Press

 

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

 

TORONTO (CP) - Wouldn't it be great if you could book an appointment with your doctor online? Or clear up confusion over which pill goes with breakfast and which with dinner? What about a fresh supply of physician-approved health Web links?

 

It's only a matter of time before all of that and more becomes a reality in the health profession, according to a recent survey of Canadian physicians. The survey, the largest annual survey of Canadian physicians conducted by the Canadian Medical Association, found that almost one in five doctors, or 17 per cent, had a Web site for their practice in 2002. Among those who didn't, seven per cent said they had plans to construct one this year.

 

Nearly 3,000 physicians participated in the survey, which found medical specialists were more likely than family physicians to have sites.

 

The Canadian figures are close to those in the U.S. that suggest about 23 per cent of physicians use a Web site to promote their practice, says Dr. Dana Hanson, president of the Canadian Medical Association.

 

"The Canadian findings were interesting. . . It's more than a trend," Hanson said. "I'm not surprised about the U.S. numbers because that's within a two-tier system."

 

In the U.S., doctors are more likely to compete against one another for people's dollars. By contrast, the structure of the Canadian health system makes it unnecessary to fight over patients, and many people say they don't even have a regular family doctor because of shortages. A Decima poll last November suggested one-third of Canadians had difficulty, or knew someone who had difficulty, finding a family doctor in the previous 12 months.

 

Hanson, who admits he doesn't have a site, says the Canadian numbers merely reveal "the acceptance of the Internet within medical practice is going up and the Web sites are a reflection of that."

 

As the numbers increase, the profession will have to decide on whether to regulate physician Web sites, Hanson added.

 

"We have to know more about it. What are people using it for? What is on the Web sites?" he said.

 

Hanson admits there are several problems with doctors using the new medium - mainly, it can be difficult to know the validity of a site or the qualifications of a specialist.

 

"Regulation is definitely something that would have to be there to protect the public. But the potential for benefit is much larger than the pitfalls."

 

Dr. Alan Brookstone, a family physician in Richmond, B.C., says he sees his online role as similar to that of a traffic controller.

 

"I try to help people find stuff that's relevant out there," he said.

 

His site, www.advancemed.ca, was designed without much content because he didn't want to be responsible for updating and managing the site on a regular basis.

 

Instead he provides resources such as travel advice and tips on how to find credible sources of health information online.

 

"If you're going to go visit sites on the Web then I'm going to give you a guideline that you can use to evaluate those sites to determine if they're believable and they'll meet your needs," he said. "I see that as the service part to my patients."

 

With more and more patients coming to doctors' offices armed with print-outs of information gleaned from the Internet, it makes sense to provide guidance in the format they're collecting the information, Hanson says.

 

"I see that as a positive challenge for the profession. . .after all, we too go to the Internet for information," Hanson said.

 

Patients likely to use Brookstone's tool include those who have a parent with dementia or a teenager with a drug or alcohol abuse problem.

 

"Because we (his office) do so many different things it's almost impossible to keep up with all the resources in the community and so the idea was really to create a community guideline," Brookstone explained.

 

"I can say to them go to the Web site, download that management page and now you can go and contact all the resources in the community and if you're still having problems then come in and see me."

 

While Brookstone has openly embraced integrating technology into his practice, he draws the line at giving consultations via e-mail or accepting appointment requests.