Internet Use by Physicians and Its Impact on Medical Practice—An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Internet use by physicians has played a vital role in medical practices for many years. A number of related studies have emerged to examine the impact of Internet use on medical practice. However, there is yet to be a comprehensive study on the impact of Internet use by physicians on their medical practice. This study examines a preliminary step to explore the major implications of physicians' Internet use on the traditional areas, such as health education and learning, physician-patient relationship, and medical marketing. Barriers to Internet use are also investigated. Implication of use of the Internet in the medical practice and limitations of this study are discussed as well.