Abstract
BackgroundAdvice from a medical expert on concerns and queries expressed anonymously through the Internet by patients and later posted on the Web, offers a new type of patient–doctor relationship. The aim of the current study was to perform a descriptive analysis of questions about AIDS and hepatitis made to an infectious disease expert and sent through the Internet to a consumer-oriented Web site in the Spanish language.Methods and FindingsQuestions were e-mailed and the questions and answers were posted anonymously in the “expert-advice” section of a Web site focused on AIDS and hepatitis. We performed a descriptive study and a temporal analysis of the questions received in the first 12 months after the launch of the site. A total of 899 questions were received from December 2003 to November 2004, with a marked linear growth pattern. Questions originated in Spain in 68% of cases and 32% came from Latin America (the Caribbean, Central America, and South America). Eighty percent of the senders were male. Most of the questions concerned HIV infection (79%) with many fewer on hepatitis (17%) . The highest numbers of questions were submitted just after the weekend (37% of questions were made on Mondays and Tuesdays). Risk factors for contracting HIV infection were the most frequent concern (69%), followed by the window period for detection (12.6%), laboratory results (5.9%), symptoms (4.7%), diagnosis (2.7%), and treatment (2.2%). ConclusionsOur results confirm a great demand for this type of “ask-the-expert” Internet service, at least for AIDS and hepatitis. Factors such as anonymity, free access, and immediate answers have been key factors in its success.
Highlights
AIDS can be considered the first media disease
Our results confirm a great demand for this type of ‘‘ask-the-expert’’ Internet service, at least for AIDS and hepatitis
Our results confirm a great demand for this type of ‘‘askthe-expert’’ service through the Internet, at least for HIV and HCV infections
Summary
AIDS can be considered the first media disease. Since its discovery in 1981, HIV infection has had a constant presence in the public eye. The latest survey shows a total of 720,000 HIV-infected patients in Western Europe with an estimated 22,000 new cases in 2005 [1]. Sex between men and in a few countries drug use through injection remain important routes for HIV transmission, increasing numbers of people are being infected through unprotected heterosexual intercourse. Estimates from Latin America (the Caribbean, Central America, and South America) show a total of 2.1 million HIV-infected patients with 230,000 new cases in 2005. Substantial progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in terms of developing new treatments and understanding factors that cause the disease to worsen, putting this knowledge into practice can be difficult. Many patients seek information on the Internet before consulting their doctor
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