Internet Searches About Therapies Do Not Impact Willingness to Accept Prescribed Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

Publication Date

2016

Journal Title

Dig Dis Sci

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A significant majority of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) search the Internet for information about their disease. While patients who search the Internet for disease or treatment information are believed to be more resistant to accepting medical therapy, no studies have tested this hypothesis. METHODS: All IBD patients over a 3-month period across three gastroenterology practices were surveyed about their disease, treatments, websites visited, attitudes toward medications, and their willingness to accept prescribed therapies after disease-related Internet searches. RESULTS: Of 142 total patients, 91 % of respondents searched the Internet for IBD information. The vast majority (82 %) reported taking medication upon their doctor's recommendation and cited the desire to acquire additional information about their disease and prescribed therapies as their most important search motivator (77 %). Internet usage did not affect the willingness of 52 % of our cohort to accept prescribed medication. CONCLUSION: The majority of IBD patients who searched the Internet for disease and treatment-related information were not affected in their willingness to accept prescribed medical therapy.

Volume Number

61

Issue Number

4

Pages

1013-20

Document Type

Article

EPub Date

2015/12/15

Status

Faculty, Northwell Researcher

Facility

School of Medicine; Northwell Health

Primary Department

Gastroenterology

PMID

26660681

DOI

10.1007/s10620-015-3981-5

For the public and Northwell Health campuses

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