A common finding in today's health provider's office is the patient armed with printouts of information obtained from the Internet. The Internet is changing the way information is distributed, and patients are encouraging providers to take notice.
Patients are more informed than ever before.
Patients are taking charge of their health and are searching the Internet to find information. The Internet is the fastest growing medium in history, with 50 million users in a five-year period. It took 13 years for television and 38 years for radio to achieve the same usage rate. It is estimated that, by 2002, half of the US population will be Internet users. Many online health resources are emerging in response to the consumer's need for more information about health and wellness.