The patient physician relationship in the Internet age: future prospects and the research agenda.

Abstract

In the "Internet Age," physicians and patients have unique technological resources available to improve the patient physician relationship. How they both utilize online medical information will influence the course of their relationship and possibly influence health outcomes. The decision-making process may improve if efforts are made to share the burden of responsibility for knowledge. Further benefits may arise from physicians who assist patients in the information-gathering process. However, further research is necessary to understand these differences in the patient physician relationship along with their corresponding effects on patient and physician satisfaction as well as clinical outcomes.