Setting up a health education website: practical advice for health professionals.

Abstract

Recently, both popular and professional publications about health care have begun to express enthusiasm for the Internet as a source of medical information and possibly of psychological support for those with serious illnesses. However, there are pitfalls for practitioners and researchers who seek to capitalise on these patient education possibilities. We describe here the process and mixed outcomes of the efforts of a multidisciplinary team to set up and evaluate a website for rural women with breast cancer. We provide recommendations for other health professionals contemplating similar ventures, and also identify some future steps to develop and research this potentially valuable form of patient education and support.