Physicians make more use of computer technology

Eighty-five percent of physicians who responded to a new survey are currently using the Internet — a jump of 42% in the last three months, and 875% from 1997. Doctors, traditionally considered to be slow adopters of new computer technology, cited ease of use as a major reason for signing on. More than 63% of the physicians surveyed said they use e-mail daily, and 33% have used e-mail to communicate with patients, according to Healtheon Corp.’s Internet Survey of Medicine.

The poll is part of an ongoing research project by the Santa Clara, CA, company, which has chronicled nearly 10,000 physicians’ computer needs and expectations over the last three years. The results were presented in April at the Physicians on the Internet Conference in San Francisco.