Internet provides opportunity for patient specific education

In the final article of this three-part series on information technology and its impact on patient education, we focus on the Internet. The World Wide Web, in only a few short years, is becoming an important piece of many patient education programs because it is a medium where information can be tailored to the patient. Patients, for example, can complete on-line health risk assessments and receive suggestions for patient-specific interventions.

Web sites provide information patients need to know to make informed health care decisions, allow access to experts, and offer follow-up instructions for procedures. Unlike conventional patient education, patients access the information at their convenience, when they are interested in learning, capturing more teachable moments.