With the popularity of the Internet on the rise, more and more people are turning to their computers for health information, advice, support and services. With its information based firmly on research, The Internet and Health Communication provides an in-depth analysis of the changes in human communication and health care resulting from the Internet revolution. The contributors, representing a wide range of expertise, provide an extensive variety of examples from the micro to the macro, including information about HMO Web Sites, Internet pharmacies, and Web-Enabled hospitals, to vividly illustrate their findings and conclusions.
Foreword Preface Part I: AN OVERVIEW OF EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS 1. The Internet and Health Communication: A Framework of Experiences - Ronald E Rice 2. The Future of the Internet in Health Care: A Five-Year Forecast - Robert Mittman and Mary Cain PART II: SOURCES OF AND EXPERIENCES WITH ONLINE MEDICAL INFORMATION 3. Consumer Use of Medical Information from Electronic and Paper Media - Philip M Napoli 4. Assessments of Quality of Health Care Information and Referrals to Physicians: A Nationwide Survey - Philip Aspden and James E Katz 5. Use of the Internet for Professional Purposes: A Survey of New Jersey Physicians - Philip Aspden, James E Katz and Ann E. Bemis 6. Expectations and Experiences of Infertility Information Seeking via the Internet and Telephone Directory - June Anigbougu and Ronald E Rice PART III: EXPERIENCES DEVELOPING AND EVALUATING HEALTH INFORMATION SITES 7. Using the Web to Assist Communities in Public Health Campaign Planning: A Case Study of the React Project - John Finnegan et al 8. Evaluating a Federal Health-Related Web Site: A Multimethod Perspective on Medicare.gov - Sid Schneider et al 9. A Pound of Cure: A Content Analysis of Health Information on Web Sites of Top-Ranked HMOs - Elizabeth Witherspoon 10. A Comparative Features Analysis of Publicly Accessible Commercial and Government Health Database Websites - Ronald E Rice, Michael Peterson and Robert Christine PART IV: EXPERIENCES OF ONLINE HEALTH COMMUNITIES AND OF ORGANIZATIONS MOVING TO E-COMMERCE 11. Experiencing Empathy Online - Jennifer Preece and Kamiz Ghozati 12. The Role of the Organization in the Success of Web-Based Continuing Medical Education Programs - Pamela S Whitten, Matthew S Eastin, and David Cook 13. Improving Diabetes Care with Telecomputing Technology - Richard L Street, Jr., and Veronika K Piziak 14. Web-Enabled Hospitals in the United States: Influences on Adoption Processes - Lauren B Eder and Donald E Wise 15. Competitive Collaboration in Australias Pharmaceutical Industry - Elizabeth More and G Michael McGrath PART V: PUBLIC POLICY EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS 16. ehealth: Federal Issues and Approaches - Cynthia Baur, Mary Jo Deering and Leslie Hsu 17. Old Wine in Silicon Prescription Bottles: /Some Legal Issues, Benefits, and Disadvantages Associated With Internet Pharmacies - Barry D Bayer 18. Networked Communication Practices and the Security and Privacy of Electronic Healthcare Records - James Katz and Philip Aspden Concluding Thoughts - James Katz and Ronald E Rice