Patients' reasons for refraining from discussing internet health information with their healthcare providers.

This exploratory study examined factors that constrain patients from discussing Internet health information with their healthcare providers. Participants (N = 714) were asked to list reasons why they have not talked with their providers about Internet health information they had found. Factors (N = 767) included patient attributions about the information, systems or circumstances, fear of treading on the provider's turf, face-saving concerns, and patient perceptions of provider attributions about the information.

Exploration of the construct of reliance among patients who talk with their providers about internet information.

Three hundred fifty participants, recruited from Internet health message boards, completed online surveys about their experiences talking with health care providers about Internet health information. Two distinct dimensions of reliance emerged from the data, one regarding the patient's reliance on the health care provider for decision making and the other regarding the patient's reliance on the health care provider to stay healthy. Self-reliant patients tended to be female, have lower incomes, and report less frequent visits to the health care provider than did health-care-provider-reliant patients.

Provider-patient dialogue about Internet health information: an exploration of strategies to improve the provider-patient relationship.

Objective: This study examined patients' experiences talking to their providers about internet health information.

Methods: Participants (n=770) recruited from internet health message boards completed an online survey, including questions focusing on a recent interaction with a provider about internet health information.

Results: Face-saving patient introduction strategies were associated with providers validating patients' efforts.