Steady Rise in US Doctors’ Internet Use

US doctors are using the Web more frequently and for longer periods according to a new study from the American Medical Association.

This year’s study, conducted between August and December 2001, is the fourth conducted annually by the association. It shows that 78% of doctors use the Web and two thirds access it daily – a 24% rise on the first figure recorded in 1997.

Doctors who use the Web have also extended the duration of their use. They now spend 7.1 hours per week online compared to 4.3 in 1997. This trend is expected to continue with Web users saying they expect their hours spent online to rise to 9.6 per week in the next six months.

The study also records a dramatic jump in the number of older doctors adopting the Web. In 2001, 65% of doctors in the over-60 age group were logging on compared to just 43% in 2000.

The area that seems to have reached a plateau is website ownership. 30% of doctors who used the Web also had their own website – a figure that has remained the same since 1999. Site ownership is increasing in popularity in obstetrics and gynaecology and internal medicine, but small falls in site ownership were recorded among surgeons and radiologists.