JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The internet has become a common source of health information for patients. However, online information is not always accurate and relevant to the patient's condition. Patients desire physicians’ expertise to help them interpret the internet information. As another party in this dyadic patient-physician relationship, physicians’ perspectives on patients’ online information-seeking behavior merit special attention. However, physicians’ perceptions and experiences are understudied in the literature, in contrast to the attention closely paid to the patient’s side.

Objective:

This review explores physicians’ perspectives regarding patients’ internet information-seeking behavior and their interactions with internet-informed patients (IIP).

Methods:

We identified 21 eligible articles by searching PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, and PsycINFO from January 1990 to August 2022. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the data.

Results:

Physicians hold diverse views on patients' internet searches, which can be viewed as a continuous spectrum of opinions ranging from positive to negative. Two communicative strategies were identified: the participative and defensive approaches. The former aims to “join in” IIP with physicians’ expertise, while the latter wishes to block the patients from online information. Physicians’ perceptions are linked to their strategies: physicians holding positive views tend to adopt a participative approach, while negative physicians favor a defensive strategy. Some physicians claimed to shift between the two approaches depending on their interaction with a certain patient. We also identified several challenges and needs of physicians in dealing with IIP, including time pressure to address IIP demands, lack of structured training, and uncertainty about trustworthy online health information sources.

Conclusions:

This review highlights the varied perceptions among physicians regarding internet-informed patients and emphasises the links between their communication approaches and perceptions. By identifying the challenges that physicians face, we offer valuable insights for supporting physicians in managing IIP. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.