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Attitudes of Iranian patients with skin problems towards using the Internet as a medical resource
Author(s) -
Zargari Omid,
KimyaiAsadi Arash
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2004.02551.x
Subject(s) - the internet , medicine , resource (disambiguation) , medical information , family medicine , dermatology , disease , world wide web , computer network , computer science
Background Internet use has grown rapidly in Iran, but there is no information about how Iranian Internet users gather medical information through this medium. Objective To study the use of the Internet as a medical resource by Iranian patients with chronic dermatologic problems. Methods We carried out a structured interview of all patients 20–40 years of age attending a private dermatology clinic between July and September 2003 for chronic skin disease. Results Of the 205 patients enrolled in the study, 104 (50.8%) had computer access and 74 (36.1% of the total) had Internet access. Nine patients (4.4%) had performed a search on the Internet for their skin condition, but only one had used an academic website. Conclusion Despite the significant growth in Internet use in Iran, it appears that the Internet is not a significant medical resource for patients in Iran.