The groups who commissioned the survey concluded that online privacy safeguards are necessary. But they emphasized that these should reflect self-governance. Internet health stakeholders are meeting next week in Washington to start hammering out ethical principles for health sites. They'd better hop to it before things backlash. Medical groups such as the American Medical Association followed, accompanied by hospitals such as the Mayo Clinic.
Doctors are paramount in getting consumers to share information with a site.
Physicians may hold the key. But doctors may not be interested in opening the door. That may be out of line with patient desires. According to Tom Ferguson, MD, an adjunct professor of health informatics at the University of Texas Medical Sciences Center, almost all patients would like to email with their doctors. Ferguson is also an editor for a newsletter on consumer health informatics and online health.