“As health professionals, we can guide patients or parents to help them find reliable material,” she says. She suggests her pediatric patients’ parents share any information they find online with her, so she can review it with them and comment on its accuracy.
Providers can also recommend websites that they find worthwhile or reputable, she says. “Many clinics have Web-based resources available for patients or parents, so having an open conversation with people regarding these topics can help prevent them from seeking information that’s not research based.”
The Pew Research Center report found that 43% of adult Internet users searching health information online were researching a certain medical treatment or procedure. Evan Leibowitz, MD, MS, a rheumatologist at Valley Medical Group Prospect Medical Offices in Midland Park, N.J., says his patients often ask him about studies they’ve read online about such arthritis supplements as glucosamine and chrondroitin sulfate.
“I respond to patients’ questions with something like, ‘That’s a good question. Unfortunately, the supplement you are asking about has not yet proved to be safe or effective. Also, we cannot predict how it will interact with your current medications,’” says Dr. Leibowitz, who adds that he discusses pros and cons of therapies his patients research online. “I tell them I’d prefer for them to spend the money on a tai chi or yoga class, to get a therapeutic massage or try acupuncture.”
The Internet and social media sites, such as Facebook, are an open door for patients seeking information and a useful tool for those who know how to use them, says Jeanne Scott, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, a rheumatology nurse practitioner at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H.
“Social media is great for emotional support with peers or those likewise diagnosed. However, I worry about the reliability of the information being shared,” says Ms. Scott. “Too often, I see misinformation repeated over and over. When you see or hear something often enough, you mistake it for fact. Unfortunately, the Internet can also be an outlet for non-experts to weigh in. Their opinions may not be evidence based, but based on personal experience.” Ms. Scott says she spends a lot of time correcting misinformation, dispelling myths her patients have picked up online and helping them set reasonable expectations for their therapy.
Telemedicine & Virtual Reality
Some of Ms. Scott’s patients must travel for two hours for clinic appointments. Although her department does not currently use telemedicine for rheumatology care, the technology is used for emergency medicine triage. The clinic’s parent network, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, does use telemedicine for rheumatology. She uses email through online patient portals. “It’s an effective communication for quick updates and requests. Patients may change their mind after an encounter about wanting a joint injection and request a procedure-only visit,” she says. “We must learn to think outside the box for our patients. It’s important for us to not only train and produce competent providers who will increase access locally, but to create access for the communities that are limited geographically or physically from getting the care they need. I believe telemedicine is an answer to this.”
