Internet use in an orthopaedic outpatient population

Background Over 60% of people nationally now have internet access. We aimed to assess the level of access to the internet within our practice population and gauge the level of internet use by these patients. Methods This was a questionnaire-based study. Patients attending a mixture of trauma and elective outpatient clinics were invited to complete a questionnaire collecting basic demographic details and history of information seeking. Results Two-hundred and nintey-two patients completed the questionnaire (146 men, 146 women). Seventeen were incomplete and excluded from final analysis. Multiple logistic regression found younger age (O.R. 2.22 in 20-35 age group), possession of health insurance (O.R. 2.65) and higher levels of education (O.R. 8.22 for tertiary education) all were significantly associated with a higher level of access to the internet. Among patients with internet access, a second regression analysis showed that a positive history of surgery (O.R. 2.82) and possession of a trade qualification (O.R. 5.15) were the best predictors of internet use to research a patient's orthopaedic condition. Conclusions Our study was consistent with previous studies showing that younger and better educated patients had greater access to the internet. We believe there is a niche for increased information provision for those patients who require surgery, but we must be aware that access is not available to everyone in the community. 1940-7041 r 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health.