Health informatics

4 THE INTERNET AND PATIENT INFORMATION

Although the internet has only been around for a relatively short period of time, its influence on both clinicians and patients is growing rapidly. Carol Bond, Senior Lecturer in Health Informatics at Bournemouth University, examines the internet and its relationship with patient information.

I find it hard to talk about the internet historically because, although it often feels as if it’s been around forever, it’s only been available to the public for the last 20 years. The Office of National Statistics didn’t start asking about internet use in the General Household Survey until 2000, when only a third of households had home access to the internet.

Among students starting preregistration nurse education ...