Materials and Methods

A multicenter study was conducted, including a representative sample selected from five major regional medical centers throughout Romania. We designed a questionnaire which had two parts. One had to be filled out by adult patients on their first visit to a gastroenterology clinic and the other by physicians, stating the diagnosis and giving a doctor-patient collaboration score.

Results

From a total of 485 patients (49.9% females, mean age 50.42 years), 64.9% had Internet access, 75% out of whom searched for their symptoms online. University graduates searched for their symptoms online more often than secondary school graduates (80% vs. 31.1%, p< 0.05). Most patients stated that they used the Internet to identify the most appropriate medical specialist for their condition. Internet users were less likely to visit a general practitioner (GP) before coming to a specialist (85.3% vs. 92.2%, odds ratio (OR) 0.491, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24–0.98, p< 0.05). Patients who had searched for their symptoms online were less likely to follow the treatment prescribed by the GP (53.6% vs. 67.5%, p= 0.004), but they received a better collaboration score (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.36, p< 0.05).

Conclusion

The Internet exerts a positive influence on specialist doctor-patient relationship, but it might burden the health system with the incorrect tendency to replace the role of the GP.