The Internet and the therapeutic education of patients: A systematic review of the literature




Abstract


Objectives


To evaluate from a review of the literature the interest of using the Internet as a tool for the therapeutic education of patients.


Method


A systematic review of Pubmed was carried out using the key words: the Internet, or World Wide Web and patient education, or patient preference, or self-care. The search was restricted to articles in English published between 1990 and 2009. References to the selected articles were also analyzed. Only randomized controlled studies were retained.


Results


Thirty-nine articles concerning 20 different diseases met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Different types of programs were proposed: informative, interactive, cognitive-behavioral and programs concerning self-management of the disease and the treatment. These different approaches were sometimes compared. The use of quality Internet sites made it possible to induce beneficial changes in lifestyle habits, and to diminish subjective and/or objective symptom severity in chronic invalidating diseases when used as a complement to traditional management. By using the Internet, patients were also able to improve decision-making skills to a degree that was at least as good as that obtained using traditional paper documents.


Conclusion


The Internet is an effective complementary tool that can contribute to improving therapeutic education. Nonetheless, healthcare professionals should work with patients to create quality sites that correspond more closely to their expectations. It is also essential for learned societies such as the SOFMER to invest in therapeutic education on the Internet to make quality therapeutic education modules based on factual medical data and complying with good practices available on line.


Résumé


Objectif


Évaluer à partir d’une revue de la littérature l’intérêt du recours à Internet comme outil d’éducation thérapeutique des patients.


Méthode


Une revue systématique a été effectuée sur Pubmed avec les mots clés « Internet » ou World Wide Web et patient education ou patient preference ou self-care , limitée aux articles en langue anglaise publiés entre 1990 et 2009. Les références des articles retenus ont également été analysées. Seules les études contrôlées randomisées ont été retenues.


Résultats


L’analyse a été effectuée sur 39 articles répondant aux critères d’inclusion, concernant 20 pathologies différentes. Différents types de programmes sont proposés : informatifs, interactifs, cognitivo-comportementaux, programme d’aide à l’autogestion de la maladie et du traitement. Ces différentes approches sont parfois comparées entre elles. L’utilisation de sites Internet de qualité a montré la possibilité d’induire des changements positifs dans les habitudes de vie ; ainsi qu’un intérêt pour diminuer la symptomatologie subjective et/ou objective de pathologies chroniques invalidantes, en complément à une prise en charge traditionnelle. L’utilisation d’Internet permet également d’améliorer la capacité d’aide à la décision des patients de façon supérieure ou égale aux supports papier traditionnels.


Conclusion


Internet est un outil complémentaire pouvant contribuer à améliorer efficacement les démarches d’éducation thérapeutique . Il semble néanmoins nécessaire que les professionnels de santé collaborent avec des patients pour créer des sites de qualité, répondant mieux à leurs attentes. Il est également primordial que les sociétés savantes comme la SOFMER s’investissent dans l’éducation thérapeutique sur Internet afin de mettre en ligne des modules d’éducation thérapeutique de qualité, s’appuyant sur les données de la médecine factuelle, et en conformité avec les bonnes pratiques.



English version



Introduction


The neologism ‘cyberchondriac’ has been employed to describe the growing proportion of internauts who seek medical information . In 2006, the number of internauts in the United States was estimated at 136 million (+ 16% compared with 2005; that is to say 77% of the adult population). Among these, 80% declared that they had already looked for information about health and went on line for this reason five times a month on average. They reported that they almost always found answers to their questions, and 76% of them believed that the information was reliable.


As early as 1999, a study of patients with cancer showed that the majority preferred to obtain information from an Internet site that had been created in the context of a program to fight cancer, even though they had little experience of using the Internet .


However, the explosion in the number of health-related sites available on the Internet makes it difficult to standardize information, and there are huge variations in the quality of the different sites. This raises the problem of the reliability of such sites as a tool for therapeutic education. Indeed, the quality of the sites depends on a variety of factors such as the involvement of healthcare professionals, the underlying commercial motivations or the influence of pressure groups. The two principal limits concern on the one hand, the absence of a consensus with regard to the information provided, given that in most cases it comes from the work of a single team, and on the other hand, the ability of the non-medical public to understand such information has rarely been tested.


Several studies have sought to evaluate the quality of medical information on the Web , and these have led to a certain consensus on criteria to determine quality .


Moreover, healthcare professionals have carried out studies to evaluate the quality of English language sites concerning specific diseases in the fields of pediatrics, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), gastroenterology, diseases of the locomotor system, cancerology, the management of pain, urology, psychiatry, nutrition, vascular surgery and the treatment of chronic lesions. Most of these studies concluded that the quality of the medical information available to the general public is usually poor.


Going beyond these studies, Bader et al. also showed that patients preferred multimedia documents, even though, in his study, scores in a knowledge test did not show that patients who had had information sessions on the Internet had higher levels of knowledge . These data therefore suggest that though multimedia can be used to inform patients, the effect of these on knowledge acquisition is difficult to evaluate. A recent study that aimed to evaluate satisfaction with Internet sites dealing with low back pain by patients during a semi–directed qualitative evaluation in ecological conditions showed that the quality of the information did not always meet the expectations of the patients .


Whereas providing information consists in the delivery of knowledge and advice, education is a more complex process that aims to improve a patient’s autonomy and sense of personal responsibility. The education of patients is incorporated into the healthcare process, and includes a series of activities that involve providing information and teaching in order to help patients understand their disease and the treatments, to take an active part in their care, to take responsibility for the state of their health and to foster a return to normal activities. The use of the Internet as an educational tool is therefore controversial not only because of the wide variations in the quality of information available, but also because it is impossible to evaluate the educational process even when patients consult quality sites.



Objective


To evaluate, thanks to a systematic review of the literature, the interest of using the Internet as a tool for the therapeutic education of patients.



Method


A systematic review of the literature in the Pubmed database was carried out using the key words ‘The Internet’ or ‘World Wide Web’ and ‘patient education’ or ‘patient preference’ or ‘self-care’, restricted to articles in English and French and published between 1990 and 2009.


Only high quality randomized controlled studies were considered (randomization procedures and type of intervention clearly described). Articles were selected by reading abstracts. A second selection was carried out by reading the abstract of the references in the articles selected in the first step.



Results



Review of the literature


This review found 72 randomized controlled studies. After exclusion of articles outside the scope of the study and/or not written in English and in French and/or of poor quality, 39 articles remained for the analysis.



Diseases studied


The main diseases studied and the effects of the different on-line educational tools are summarized in Table 1 .



Table 1

Randomized controlled studies about Internet and patient education.































































































































































































































































Domains Authors Number of patients Type of intervention Principal results
Eating and metabolic disorders T1D Boukhors et al., 2003 10 T1D Connection to a site of self-management of insulin doses versus usual care; cross-over design Decrease of HbA1 in both groups; more doses modifications without increase in adverse effects in intervention group at 8 weeks
T2D Cho et al., 2006 80 T2D Connection to a site for assistance and self-management versus usual care HbA1 and fluctuation index lower in the intervention group at 3 months
Glasgow et al., 2003 320 T2D Connection to an essentially informative site versus oral made-to-measure information Improvement in behavioral and biological parameters in the 2 groups with no difference between groups at 10 months–difficulties maintaining connections
Kim et al., 2006 73 T2D Informative web site versus paper-based information versus usual care Increase in PA, decrease in FG and HbA1 in the 2 intervention groups with no difference at 3 months between groups
McKay et al., 2001 78 T2D Cognitive-behavioral site versus pure information Increase in PA in the 2 groups, proportional to the frequency of connections in the CB group
Ralston et al., 2009 83 T2D Connection to a self-management + informative site versus usual care Decrease in HbA1 greater in the intervention group, no change in BP, total cholesterol at 12 months
Weight loss in obese subjects Tate et al., 2003 92 obese (BMI 33.1 ± 3.8) at risk T2D 1 individual interview + connection to informative site versus CB site Decreased weight, hip circumference and BMI greater in the CB group at 12 months
Tate and al., 2001 91 overweight or obese adults 1 individual interview + connection informative site versus CB Decreased weight, hip circumference at 3 and 6 months greater in the CB group
Eating disorders Ljotsson et al., 2007 73 anorexic subjects Individual CB + CB web site versus waiting list Decreased number of crises of bulimia and/or intentional vomiting at 3 and 6 months
Cardiopulmonary diseases AHT Castro et al., 2005 22 elderly subjects Education assisted by web site versus free Internet search about AHT Improvement in knowledge greater in the group with web assisted education
Roumie et al., 2006 182 doctors following 1341 patients with essential AHT Reception of an e-mail with links to the JNC 7 (1) versus trained doctor + alert to the patient by mail if AHT (2) versus trained doctor +alert to patient + education patient (3) Proportion of patients with SBP < 140 mmHg greater in Group 3
Secondary prevention post MI Southard et al., 2003 104 patients following coronary event Connection to an educational site concerning CVRF versus usual care Fewer cardiovascular events recurrences in the Internet group; Investment per patient = $453 versus $1418 leading to decreased health costs
Cardio-respiratory diseases or diabetes Lorig et al., 2006 958 patients with chronic cardiac/respiratory diseases or T2D Connection to a self-management site versus usual care Improvement greater in intervention group for health distress, pain, dyspnea, fatigue, stretching and muscle strengthening
Ryan et al., 2009 162 patients on warfarin Self-measure of INR at home + connection to self-management site versus usual care Time in INR target zone greater in the intervention group
COPD Nguyen et al., 2008 50 COPD Educational Program for dyspnea management: individual interview versus website Improvement in Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire score and PA in the 2 groups with no intergroup difference at 3 and 6 months; no improvement in physical capacity and number of exacerbations
Asthma Jan et al., 2007 164 Taiwanese asthmatic children Programme followed + educational Internet versus agenda Significant improvement in intervention group for: diurnal and nocturnal symptoms, peakflow, quality of life, knowledge
Joseph et al., 2007 314 South African asthmatic students (15–19 years) Specific educational Internet site CC versus generic sites on asthma Improvement in adherence to treatment and decrease in symptoms in intervention group, with stability QOL versus Deterioration in control group at 12 months
Krishna et al., 2009 268 asthmatic children Interactive educational Internet site versus oral national educational programme Decrease in symptoms, medical visits, doses of inhale corticosteroid, improvement in knowledge in intervention group at 12 months, no difference in spirometry
Van der Meer et al., 2009 [70] 200 asthmatic adults Self-management Internet site versus usual care Improvement in symptom control, FEVS, without improvement in exacerbations, and improvement in QOL but below clinically pertinent threshold in the intervention group at 12 months
Psychiatry and addictive behaviour Depression Andersson et al., 2005 117 adults with slight to moderate depression CB Internet site + minimal contact with therapist versus group of discussion Greater reduction in symptoms of depression in the intervention group (Beck Depression Inventory and MADRS-S at 6 months)
Christiensen et al., 2004 525 adults with a score ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Informational Internet site on depression versus CB site versus telephone contact not focused on depression Decreased in self-reported 20 item depression scale from the Center for Epidemiologic studies at 6 weeks in the 2 intervention groups with no intergroup difference
Christiensen et al., 2006 414 adults with a score ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care Greater demand for information, greater use of massage and exercices in intervention group, versus decreased contact with friends and family in control group
Clarke et al., 2002 299 adults followed for depression Access to simple informational site versus Access to CB site versus usual care No intergroup difference concerning on-line version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at 4, 8, 16 and 32 weeks, but greater loss to follow-up in intervention group with greater depression in final sample
Griffiths et al., 2004 525 adults with a score ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care Improvement in perception of depression symptoms in intervention group
Social phobia Titov et al., 2008 [68] 98 patients suffering from social phobia Access to CB site assised by a clinician versus access to the same site alone versus waiting list Improvement in social phobia group for CB site assisted by clinician > CB site alone > waiting list (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale; Social Phobia Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire Nine-Item; Kessler 10)
Panic attacks Carlbring et al., 2005 49 patients suffering from panic attacks 10 weekly sessions of CB with a therapist versus 10 weekly connections to CB Internet site Efficacy of 2 interventions comparable at 10 weeks and at 1 year in decreasing nulber of panic attacks
Smoking cessation Etter et al., 2005 11969 subjects (74% smokers, 26% ex-smokers) included; 4237 followed Connection to CB support site versus more informational site; reminder by mail in the 2 groups Proportion of smoking cessation greater in patients at the contemplating stage for the CB group, no difference for the other patients at 2.5 months
Etter et al., 2003 2027 smokers or ex-smokers 1 single e-mail different orientations on the interest of nicotine patches: (1) control; (2) temporary abstinence; (3) reduction; (4) side effects Motivation to stop smoking greater in group (2), lower in group (4)
Alcohol cessation Riper et al., 2005 261 Dutch adults with regular excessive consumption of alcohol > 3 months Connection to interactive self-management site for abstinence versus connection to on-line help brochure Return to Dutch average alcohol consumption, and higher mean decrease in daily consumption in the interactif site group
Cancerology Frosch and al, 2003 226 asymptomatic men before clinical examination Access to an informative site versus informative video about screening for prostate cancer Improvement in knowledge in the 2 groups; more patients declined PSA testing in the video group
Post-operative pain Goldsmith et al., 1999 195 patients following out-patient surgery Informative site on pain following out-patient surgery versus usual care Significant decrease in pain on return to home, the night and day following surgery the intervention group
Chronic pain Berman et al., 2009 78 patients suffering from chronic pain Self-care site and on-line relaxation versus waiting list Decrease in pain intensity and limitations due to the pain in the 2 groups, confidence in the relaxation techniques greater in the intervention group
Lorig et al., 2008 855 patients with chronic pain in the locomotor system (fibromyalgia, arthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis) Site for help with self-management of the pain versus waiting list 4 of the 6 physical parameters improved only in the intervention group at 1 year (pain, fatigue, intercurrent diseases, aggravation state of health, perceived handicap overall perception of health)
Locomotor diseases Rheumatoid arthritis van den Berg et al., 2007 [69] 82 patients followed for Rheumatoïd arthritis 55% patients declared to be active in the 2 groups, good level of satisfaction with the Internet tool
Orthopedic surgery Hekkinen and al., 2008 147 patients suitable for orthopedic surgery Improvement in knowledge of the surgical procedure in the 2 groups
Spinal surgery Phelan et al., 2001 100 patients with low back pain suitable for spinal surgery Improvement in knowledge in the 2 groups, greater in the DVD + brochure group; trend for preference for surgery lower in the DVD + brochure group
Dermatology Allergic contact dermatitis Kist et al., 2004 21 patients presenting with atopical dermatitis Connection to a database of allergens versus control No improvement in erythema or pruritus at 3 months

T1D: type 1 diabete; T2D: type 2 diabete; y: years; PA: physical activity; FG: fasting glycaemia; BP: blood presssure; BMI: body mass index; CB: cognitive and behavioral; AHT: arterial hypertension; SBP: systolic blood pressure; JNC 7: Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure guidelines, 7th edition; CVRF: cardiovascular risk factors; INR: international standardized ration; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; QOL: quality of life; FEVS: forced expiratory volume per second; PSA: prostate specific antigen; ER: emergency room.



Types of programs and parameters studied


Different types of programs are proposed: most are essentially informative programs , but there are also a number of interactive , or cognitive-behavioral programs. Strategies employing regular e-mails to inform and/or motivate , or that connect the patient to a self-help site for management and treatment of the disease are also available. These different approaches were sometimes compared in the articles studied . The different strategies compared are summed-up in Table 2 : Internet versus usual care; Internet versus oral information/education; Internet versus other informative/educational material; cognitive behavioral websites versus other types of website.



Table 2

Different strategies compared.






































































































































































Compared strategies Number of patients Type of intervention Principal results
Internet versus usual care 80 T2D Connection to a site for assistance and self-management versus usual care HbA1 and fluctuation index lower in the intervention group at 3 months
83 T2D Connection to a self-management + informative site versus usual care Decrease in HbA1 greater in the intervention group, no change in BP, total cholesterol at 12 months
73 T2D Informative web site versus paper-based information versus usual care Increase in PA, decrease in FG and HbA1 in the 2 intervention groups with no difference at 3 months between groups
73 anorexic subjects Individual CB + CB web site versus waiting list Decreased number of crises of bulimia and/or intentional vomiting at 3 and 6 months
104 patients following coronary event Connection to an educational site concerning CVRF versus usual care Fewer cardiovascular events recurrences in the Internet group; investment per patient = $453 versus $1418
958 patients with chronic cardiac/respiratory diseases or T2D Connection to a self-management site versus usual care Improvement greater in intervention group for health distress, pain, dyspnea, fatigue, stretching and muscle strengthening
162 patients on warfarin Self-measure of INR at home + connection to self-management site versus usual care Time in INR target zone greater in the intervention group
164 Taiwanese asthmatic children Programme followed + educational Internet versus agenda Significant improvement in intervention group for: diurnal and nocturnal symptoms, peakflow, quality of life, knowledge
200 asthmatic adults [70] Self-management Internet site versus usual care Improvement in symptoms control, FEVS, without improvement in exacerbations, and improvement in QOL but below clinically pertinent level in the intervention group at 12 months
414 adults scoring ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care Greater demand for information, greater use of massage and exercices in intervention groups, versus decreased contact with friends and family in control group
525 adults scoring ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care Improvement in perception of depression symptoms in intervention groups
299 adults followed for depression Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care No intergroup difference for on-line version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at 4, 8, 16 and 32 weeks, but greater loss to follow-up in intervention group with greater depression in final sample
195 patients following out-patient surgery Informative site on pain following out-patient surgery versus usual care Significant decrease in pain on return to home, the night and day following surgery the intervention group
82 patients followed for RA [69] Site providing an individualized PA programme versus individual verbal encouragement on the pratice of PA 55% patients declared to be active in the 2 groups, good level of satisfaction with the Internet tool
78 patients suffering from chronic pain Self-care site and on-line relaxation versus waiting list Decrease in pain intensity and limitations due to the pain in the 2 groups, confidence in the relaxation techniques greater in the intervention group
855 patients with locomotor chronic pain (fibromyalgia, arthrosis, RA) Site for help with self-management of the pain versus waiting list 4 of the 6 physical parameters improved only in the intervention group at 1 year, no improvement in behavioral parameter, or care consumption parameters at 6 months and 1 year
21 patients presenting with atopical dermatitis Connection to a daatbase of allergens versus control No improvement in erythema or pruritus at 3 month
Internet versus oral information/education 320 T2D Connection to an essentially informative site versus oral made-to-measure information Improvement in behavioral and biological parameters in the 2 groups with no difference between groups at 10 months – difficulties maintaining connections
50 COPD Educational program for dyspnea management: individual interview versus site Internet Improvement in Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire score and PA in the 2 groups with no intergroup difference at 3 and 6 months; no improvement in physical capacity and number of exacerbations
268 asthmatic children Interactive educational Internet site versus oral national educational programme Decrease in symptoms, medical visits, doses of inhale corticosteroid, improvement in knowledge in intervention group at 12 months, no differnece in spirometry
117 adults with slight to moderate depression CB Internet site versus group of discussion Greater reduction in symptoms of depression in the intervention group (Beck Depression Inventory and MADRS-S at 6 months)
49 patients suffering from panic attacks 10 weekly sessions of CB with a therapist versus 10 weekly connections to CB Internet site Efficacy of 2 interventions comparable at 10 weeks and at 1 year in decreasing nulber of panic attacks
147 patients suitable for orthopedic surgery Educational Internet site versus education by a nurse Improvement in knowledge of the surgical procedure in the 2 groups
Internet versus other information/educational support 261 Dutch adults with regular excessive consumption of alcohol > 3 months Connection to interactive self-management site for abstinence versus connection to on-line help brochure Return to Dutch average alcohol consumption, and higher mean decrease in daily consumption in the interactif site group
226 asymptomatic men before clinical examination Access to an informative site versus informative video about screening for prostate cancer Improvement in knowledge in the 2 groups; more patients declined PSA testing in the video group
Cognitive behavior versus other site 92 obese (BMI 33.1 ± 3.8) at risk T2D [66] 1 individual interview + connection to informative site versus CB site Decreased weight, hip circumference and BMI greater in the CB group at 12 months
91 overweigh/obese adults [67] 1 individual interview + connection informative site versus CB Decreased weight, hip circumference at 3 and 6 months greater in the CB group
314 South African asthmatic students (15–19 y) Specific educational Internet site CC versus generic sites on asthma Improvement in adherence to treatment and decrease in symptoms in intervention group, with stability QOL versus deterioration in control group at 12 months
525 adults with a score ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Informational Internet site on depression versus CB site versus telephone contact not focused on depression Decreased in self-reported 20 item depression scale from the Center for Epidemiologic studies at 6 weeks in the 2 intervention groups with no intergroup difference
525 adults with a score ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Access to simple informational site versus.Access to CB site versus usual care Improvement in perception of depression symptoms in intervention groups
299 adults followed for depression Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care No intergroup difference concerning on-line version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at 4, 8, 16 and 32 weeks, but greater loss to follow-up in intervention group with greater depression in final sample
414 adults with a score ≥ 22 on Kessler psychological distress scale Access to simple informational site versus access to CB site versus usual care Greater demand for info, greater use of massage and exercices in intervention groups, versus decreased contact with friends and family in control group
98 patients suffering from social phobia [68] Access to CB site assised by a clinician versus access to the same site alone versus waiting list Improvement in social phobia group for CB site assisted by clinician > CB site alone > waiting list
11969 subjects (74% smokers, 26% ex-smokers) included; 4237 followed Connection to CB support site versus More informational site; reminder by mail in the 2 groups Proportion of smoking cessation greater in patients at the contemplating stage for the CB group, no difference for the other patients at 2.5 months
78 T2D Cognitive behaviour site versus pure information Increase in PA in the 2 groups, proportional to the frequency of connections in the CB group
Education site versus other 22 elderly subjects Education assisted by web site versus free Internet search about AHT Improvement in knowledge greater in the group with web assisted education

QOL: quality of life; CVRF: cardiovascular risk factors; RA: rheumatoïd arthritis; BP: blood pressure; PA: physical activity; T2D: Type 2 Diabete; FG: Fasting Glycaemia; BMI : Body Mass Index; CB: Cognitive and Behavioral; AHT: Arterial Hypertension; INR: INternational standardized Ration; COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; FEVS: Forced Expiratory Volume per Second; PSA: Prostate Specific Antigen.


In the context of help in disease management, the evaluation criteria studied varied considerably. Certain were centered on patients and took into account their opinions about the usefulness and ease of use of the tools, or their satisfaction with the site. Certain articles evaluated knowledge (validated questionnaires, or questionnaires created specifically for the study), or the capacity of patients to implement lifestyle changes, or the quality of life. Usual clinical criteria such as the evolution of symptoms, clinical scores and biological variables are also presented. Finally, medico-economic evaluations bearing on the number and type of complementary examinations prescribed and the consumption of medical services and/or drugs are often reported.


Concerning tools to assist decision-making, the acquisition of knowledge, patients’ expectations, the proportion of individuals who play an active role in the therapeutic choices, the proportion of patients who decline invasive surgery in favor of conservative surgery or medical treatment, without suffering from any prejudicial outcome and the decisional conflict score were studied. This score reflects the uncertainty of patients concerning their choices . The effects of multimedia tools to assist decision-making were studied in the context of hormone replacement treatment during menopause, of benign hypertrophy of the prostate, diabetes and spinal surgery . These tools provide information on the different therapeutic options so as to help patients to make specific well thought out choices concerning their health , and thus fall within the context of the ‘shared decision’-type doctor/patient relationship.



Impact on disease management in routine clinical practice


All of the studies showed the positive opinions of patients, who appreciated this type of media for education. They found it pleasant and easy to use. Moreover, they would like their doctors to recommend appropriate sites concerned with the diseases they have. One limit of using the Internet was the difficulty of maintaining regular visits, which was shown in the context of depression , or in the continuation of regular physical activity for type 2 diabetics ; assiduity correlated strongly with the number of visits to the site.


The use of the Internet did not always have an impact on a patient’s knowledge: improvement superior to the use of a diary or to a national oral educative program on asthma ; or the use of a video giving better results for knowledge acquisition than did visits to a Web site concerning screening for prostate cancer using PSA levels (Prostate Specific Antigen) . It is also noteworthy that among older people, assisted web education was superior to free Internet searches on knowledge about arterial hypertension .


Patients’ knowledge had improved after the intervention in every study except one. This study, which concerned screening for prostate cancer using PSA levels (Prostate Specific Antigen), found that using a video gave better results for knowledge acquisition than did visits to a Web site .


Sites that focus on cognitive-behavioral techniques were more effective than those that provided information alone, notably for the management of depression . Depressive individuals who used the Internet were better able to express their affects and their requests for help . Such sites also made it easier for users to modify lifestyle habits, thus enhancing, for example, the effect of weight loss programs , or increasing the level of physical activity in type 2 diabetics .


All of the studies showed a positive effect on the evolution of patients’ diseases (biological and clinical variables, and symptoms) that was at least as great as the effects obtained using traditional communication approaches (spoken or written information), except with regard to the evolution of allergic contact dermatitis . There were no reports of an increase in adverse events such as the onset of hypoglycemia, for example, in educational programs dealing with diabetes, or hemorrhagic events relative to sites for the self-management of treatments with oral anti-coagulants. There was an improvement in quality of life, notably thanks to a reduction in anxiety in chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes or in life-threatening diseases such as breast cancer .


Certain contradictory results, however, were reported, in particular for the management of asthma. One study showed a significant reduction in the number of hospitalizations for serious acute asthma attacks associated with reduced consumption of inhaled corticoids, while another study reported no reduction in exacerbated attacks despite improvements in spirometric parameters and quality of life . For type 1 diabetes, Ralston et al. showed the positive impact of consulting an educational site on self-care skills, but unlike other studies, in this one, there was no significant effect on levels of glycated haemoglobin .


Finally, an evaluation of the medico-economic aspects showed the cost-effectiveness of an educational program in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, with a 15% reduction in morbidity over the 6-months observation period and a saving of $1,418 per patient, equivalent to a return on investment of 213% .This positive economic impact was, however, not found for an interactive site dedicated to patients with chronic locomotor pain (arthrosis, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis) .However, cost-effectiveness is difficult to evaluate because, for the moment, these tools have only been studied in the context of pilot studies or programs carried out in a hospital setting. The widespread transmission of such programs via the Internet could lead to cost reductions.



Impact of decision-making aids


Patients preferred these decision-making aids to multimedia formats. Moreover, these aids were at least as effective as other formats in that they led to improved knowledge acquisition, more realistic expectations, fewer decisional conflicts and a feeling of being better informed. In addition, a greater proportion of individuals took an active part in making therapeutic choices. It was reported that a greater proportion of patients opted for conservative surgery or medical treatment rather than invasive surgery, with no prejudicial effect on the outcome .



Discussion


The use of quality Internet sites seems to be beneficial in the context of therapeutic education for patients. These results were confirmed by a review of the Cochrane Database, which reported that consulting « Interactive Health Communication Applications » had a positive impact on knowledge and on symptoms .


Most studies have compared Internet-based educative strategies with usual care. It is therefore still difficult to clearly establish from the literature what positive effects are attributable to educative action itself and/or to the use of the Internet. Nevertheless, it appears that, among the interventions that use these tools, cognitive-behavioral-type sites seem to be the most effective. This finding has already been reported in settings of the long-term medical management of chronic diseases such as low back pain .


It is therefore likely that the use of the Internet, though it cannot replace usual educative approaches described by the HAS , by its very nature can improve the efficacy of usual approaches: possibility of multimedia content, interactivity and adaptability to the personal rhythm of each patient, variety in the approaches available, in particular, cognitive-behavioral approaches.


The systematic analysis of the literature, however, did not reveal any specific approach in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or handicap. Only one study, conducted by Hauber et al., aimed to develop an interactive site for patients who had suffered brain or spinal trauma . This retrospective survey conducted by a rehabilitation unit showed that, despite suffering from multiple deficiencies, 73% of the responders used a computer. Among these, 68% had access to the Internet and used it effectively. This shows that the Internet can be used to provide information and therapeutic education to patients with cerebral lesions or even severe handicap.


All of the positive effects mentioned above were found in the use of sites dealing with a wide variety of diseases. All of these sites, however, were specifically created by healthcare professionals and tested without prior active searches by the patients. The absence of data on the behavior of internauts in ‘ecological’conditions during personal searches conducted at home is the main limitation of these studies. Indeed, one original study showed that patients developed particular search strategies that were difficult to understand . In this study, specific software was used to record and analyze at a later date the search technique. The participants were asked to search the Internet to obtain answers to nine questions about their general health. The search was followed by a semi-directed interview. The results showed that none of the participants had used the medical access as a starting point. In most cases, the search strategy was sub-optimal; in general, the participants clicked on the first response rather than reformulating the key word, for example. Moreover, they spent an average of 1 minute 9 seconds on each site, which underlines their inclination to change site quickly if the presentation did not appeal to them or if the obvious answer did not appear quickly enough. Even though this study presented certain biases, it confirmed that patient’s search strategies are significantly different from what we expect. Thus, the proportion of low quality sites seems to be but one factor that may lead the Internaut to find inaccurate information. The search strategy and navigation skills seem to be serious obstacles too. Among the different studies cited, only one reported technical difficulties that led to the early interruption of the study in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) . This outlines the need to direct patients to quality websites known by the doctor, or used by therapeutic education teams.


Another limitation of the use of the Internet as a tool for therapeutic education is related to the changeability of the referencing and the content of the sites themselves. It has been shown by repeating requests at regular intervals with the same key words using general search engines that the results found and the content change rapidly . Though multimedia tools seem to be appealing and effective, their potential in therapeutic education will depend on their availability. Thus, even though educative strategies must remain focused on the patient, the use of the Internet as an educational tool implies that patients need to be guided towards quality sites by healthcare professionals and the content of these sites must be reevaluated regularly.


The use of the Internet in patient education could also meet the expectations of patients who are sometimes dissatisfied with the information given by the treating practitioner, notably in chronic low back pain. Glenton spoke about a gap or ‘break down’ linked to inappropriate communication. From this work, it came out that the needs in terms of information covered a wide range of subjects including clinical, financial, emotional and social aspects, which could be divided into three categories: the quality of medical information, of extra-medical information, and of design. The use of educational Internet sites could, therefore, allow patients to find answers to questions that were not raised during the consultation or hospitalization because of the fear of raising them or through lack of knowledge. This could also improve compliance with the treatments proposed and foster modifications in behavior. Today the disparity in the quality of the websites is a major limitation of on-line therapeutic education. Indeed, patients with low back pain were dissatisfied with one Internet site that presented in simple terms data of Evidence Based Medicine . Another recent study evaluated patient satisfaction with various French-language Internet sites concerning low back pain in the course of a semi-directive qualitative evaluation in ecological conditions. It came out that the quality of the information on these sites did not always meet patients’ expectations .


Finally, adverse ‘emotional’ effects have already been reported following visits to medical information sites on the Internet. Crocco et al. reported this type of event in two pregnant patients who had used an inappropriate search strategy following consultations in gynecology . The patients had used inappropriate key words, which led them to sites which presented scientifically valid information that did not correspond to what they were seeking.


To overcome these limitations, one solution could be to develop quality labels to guide doctors towards a site that can be ‘prescribed’ with confidence . Wilson distinguished between five main types of approach to evaluate English language health sites in order to establish indicators that would help the patient or the doctor to identify suitable sites .


‘Codes of good conduct’, which bring together a selection of quality criteria that fix a list of recommendations for the development and the content of sites. Several organizations have developed such codes (The Internet Health Coalition 1


1 eHealth Code of Ethics of the Internet Health Coalition. http://www.ihealthcoalition.org/ethics/ethics.html .

, American Medical Association, e-Europe 2

2 URAC. http://www.urac.org .

).


Quality labels: using a symbol or logo displayed on the screen once the site has been verified by the creator of the label, such as the ‘Hi-Ethics code 3


3 Hi-Ethics code. http://www.hiethics.com/Principles/index.asp .

, or the ‘Health On the Net Foundation 4

4 Health On the Net Foundation. http://www.hon.ch .

, which is older and probably better known. It is used by more than 300 sites, and currently recommended by the Haute Autorité de la santé.


Labels for quality and accreditation delivered by an independent organization. This is the most well-established approach to inform users that the site respects standards for content and form. The criteria are established a priori by an independent group. Two pilot tools are currently being studied in Europe (MEDCERTAIN 5


5 MEDCERTAIN. http://www.medcertain.org .

and URAC 6

6 URAC. http://www.urac.org .

).


Help systems that allow the internaut to make sure that a site and its content meet certain standards by asking a series of questions. These tools, which resemble evaluation charts, may be specific, general, or may target categories of users. The following can be mentioned: DISCERN 7


7 DISCERN. http://www.discern.org.uk .

(a short questionnaire to validate information on therapeutic choices); NETSCORING 8

8 NETSCORING. http://www.chu-rouen.fr/netscoring/ .

, which guides the user for general health sites; QUICK 9

9 QUICK. http://www.quick.org.uk .

specifically developed for children. However, as their use depends uniquely on the internaut, the benefits may be diminished.


Filters, which can be applied manually or automatically. These tools were initially designed to allow parents to prevent their children from gaining access to pornographic sites. The selected sites are evaluated and stocked in a database. These filters could improve search precision for particular groups of users. One such filter, for example, OMNI 10


10 OMNI. http://www.biome.ac.uk/guidelines/eval/factors .

was particularly designed for students, researchers and health professionals. Design costs are high since experts are required to evaluate and classify the sites. Specialists in multimedia technologies are also necessary to design the filter software. They make it possible to short-circuit non-specific search engines.



Perspectives: the use of the Internet in clinical research?


The idea of organizing randomized studies to evaluate the effects of the Internet or even the effects of medical treatments at a lower cost thanks to on-line follow-up is appealing since it could facilitate patient recruitment. However, it is subject to a number of limitations, notably concerning the evaluation of educational approaches. .


The first difficulty lies in the fact that it is impossible to have a double-blind study. This obstacle is also encountered in trials that seek to evaluate the effect of non-pharmacological treatments, in which patients obviously know what type of treatment they receive. The second concerns the risk of contamination of the control group, linked to the fact that patients can visit the Internet to obtain equivalent information from other sites. The third limitation concerns the small number of diseases suitable for this type of approach. This approach is essentially relevant in clinical contexts in which the evaluation of the intervention can be carried out using self-completed questionnaires filled in by the patient, that is to say when a physical examination is not required (psychological disorders, anxiety, depression, weight loss). Two recent studies have shown that the metrological properties of questionnaires concerning deficiency, quality of life or depression administered via the Internet have comparable metrological properties to their paper-and-pencil equivalents. The final bias concerns the ‘experimental’ group, since it is difficult to know precisely in what way the educational Internet site was used by patients.



Conclusion


The Internet appears to be an appealing supplementary tool in the context of therapeutic education. For the moment, the possibilities are limited because of the lack of quality sites that are suitable for the general public, and the absence of any evaluation of knowledge acquisition or self-care skills. Given the great diversity in the medical and extra-medical information provided on health sites found during non-systematic searches, similar to those conducted by the patients, the creation of labels that identify quality sites could be a good response to this obstacle. In the future, it will be necessary for healthcare professionals to work with patients and user groups to create quality sites that meet the expectations of patients, as it has already been done in the field of obesity . These approaches could eventually make it possible to evaluate more precisely quality sites that are appropriate for therapeutic education and the most suitable diseases. This will also make it possible to develop for healthcare professionals a true ‘prescription’ for Internet sites that can be incorporated into an informative and educational approach of the ‘shared-decision’ type.


Learned societies like the Societé française de médecine physique et de réadaptation (SOFMER) must also invest in order to put quality modules for therapeutic education on line.


Conflict of interest statement


None conflict to declare.





Version française



Introduction


Le néologisme « cyberchondriaque » a été employé pour illustrer la part grandissante des internautes recherchant des informations médicales . En 2006, le nombre d’internautes aux États-Unis était estimé à environ 136 millions (+ 16 % par rapport à 2005, soit 77 % de la population adulte). Parmi ceux-ci, 80 % déclaraient avoir déjà recherché des informations relatives à la santé et se connectaient pour cette raison cinq fois par mois en moyenne. Ils déclaraient quasiment toujours trouver la réponse à la question qu’ils se posaient, et 76 % d’entre eux pensaient que l’information était fiable.


Les préférences des patients concernant le type de support informatif ont été étudiées dans la pathologie cancéreuse dès 1999 et la majorité des patients affirmaient leur souhait d’accéder à un site Internet créé dans le cadre d’un programme de lutte contre le cancer, et ceci en dépit d’un manque d’expérience de navigation fréquent.


Cependant, l’explosion du nombre de ressources de santé disponibles sur Internet rend difficile la standardisation de l’information, et la qualité des différents sites est très hétérogène, posant le problème de la fiabilité de ce type de support comme outil d’éducation thérapeutique. En effet, la qualité des sites dépend de divers facteurs comme l’implication de professionnels de santé, les motivations commerciales sous-jacentes ou l’influence de groupes de pression. Les deux principales limites concernent d’une part, l’absence de caractère consensuel des informations délivrées dans la mesure où elles sont issues le plus souvent du travail d’une seule équipe ; d’autre part, la compréhension de ces informations par un public non médical qui a rarement été testée.


Plusieurs études ont cherché à évaluer la qualité de l’information médicale sur le Web , permettant d’aboutir à un certain consensus sur les critères de qualité .


Par ailleurs, des études visant à évaluer la qualité de sites anglophones se rapportant à une pathologie précise ont été réalisées par des professionnels de santé, dans de nombreux domaines tels que la pédiatrie, l’ORL, la gastroentérologie, les pathologies de l’appareil locomoteur, la cancérologie, la prise en charge de la douleur, l’urologie, la psychiatrie, la nutrition, la chirurgie vasculaire, le traitement des plaies chroniques. Ces travaux concluent pour la plupart à une faible qualité de l’information médicale accessible au grand public.


Au-delà de ces travaux, Bader et al. a également montré la préférence des patients pour les supports multimédia, même si dans son travail l’étude des scores d’un test de connaissances n’a pas montré de supériorité chez les patients ayant bénéficié de sessions d’information en fonction du format préféré . Ces données suggèrent, par conséquent que si les supports multimédias peuvent être utilisés pour informer les patients, leurs effets sur les connaissances restent difficiles à évaluer. Un travail récent visant à évaluer l’appréciation de sites Internet concernant la lombalgie commune par des patients au cours d’une évaluation qualitative semi–dirigée en conditions écologiques a montré que la qualité de l’information n’est pas toujours adaptée aux attentes des patients .


Alors que l’information consiste à la délivrance de connaissances et de conseils, l’éducation est un processus plus complexe visant à améliorer l’autonomie et la responsabilisation du patient. L’éducation du patient est un processus intégré à la démarche de soins, comprenant un ensemble d’activités d’information et d’apprentissages destinées à aider le patient à comprendre sa maladie et les traitements, à participer aux soins, à prendre en charge son état de santé et à favoriser son retour aux activités normales. Ainsi, l’utilisation d’Internet comme outil d’éducation est discutable du fait de la qualité très variable de l’information disponible, mais également de l’impossibilité de contrôler le cheminement de la démarche éducative même lors de la consultation de sites de qualité.



Objectif


Evaluer à partir d’une revue systématique de la littérature l’intérêt du recours à Internet comme outil d’éducation thérapeutique des patients.



Méthode


Une revue systématique de la littérature a été effectuée sur la base de données Pubmed, en utilisant les mots clés Internet ou World Wide Web et patient education ou patient preference ou self-care , limitée aux articles en langue anglaise et française publiés entre 1990 et 2009.


Seules les études contrôlées randomisées de bonne qualité ont été retenues (procédures de randomisation et type de l’intervention clairement décrits). La sélection a été effectuée à partir de la lecture des résumés. Une deuxième sélection a également été réalisée à partir de la lecture des résumés des références des articles retenus.



Résultats



Revue de la littérature


Cette revue a retrouvé 72 études contrôlées randomisées. Après exclusion des articles hors sujets et/ou non écrits en Anglais et en Français, et/ou de qualité insuffisante, l’analyse finale a été effectuée sur 39 articles.



Pathologies étudiées


Les principales pathologies étudiées et les effets des supports d’éducation en ligne sont résumés dans le Tableau 1 .



Tableau 1

Études contrôlées randomisées concernant l’utilisation d’Internet dans l’éducation des patients.































































































































































































































































Domaine Auteurs Nombre de patients Type intervention Principaux résultats
Troubles alimentaires et du métabolisme DT1 Boukhors et al., 2003 10 DT1 Connexion site d’aide à l’autogestion insulinothérapie versus soins usuels ; étude en cross-over Diminution similaire HbA1 avec modifications de doses plus fréquentes, sans augmentation effets secondaires
DT2 Cho et al., 2006 80 DT2 Connexion site d’aide à l’autogestion versus soins usuels HbA1 et index de fluctuation inférieure dans groupe intervention à 3 mois
Glasgow et al., 2003 320 DT2 Connexion à un site essentiellement informatif versus information orale « sur mesure » Amélioration paramètres comportementaux, biologiques, dans les 2 groupes sans différence intergroupe à 10 mois- difficultés maintien connexions
Kim et al., 2006 73 DT2 Site web informatif versus support informatif papier versus soins usuels Augmentation AP, diminution GJ et HbA1 dans les 2 groupes intervention sans différence intergroupe à 3 mois
McKay et al., 2001 78 DT2 Site d’inspiration CC versus informatif pur Augmentation AP dans les 2 groupes, proportionnelle à la fréquence de connexions dans le groupe CC
Ralston et al., 2009 83 T2D Connexion site d’aide autogestion traitement + informatif versus soins usuels Diminution HbA1 supérieure dans groupe intervention à 12 mois, pas d’effet sur TA et cholestérol total
Perte de poids pour obèses Tate et al., 2003 [59] 92 obèses (IMC 33,1 ± 3,8) à risque DT2 1 entretien individuel + connexion site informatif versus site CC Diminution poids, périmètre hanche et IMC supérieures dans groupe TCC à 12 mois
Tate and al., 2001 [60] 91 adultes en surpoids ou obèses 1 entretien individuel + connexion site informatif versus site CC Diminution poids, périmètre hanche à 3 et 6 mois supérieures dans groupe TCC
Troubles du comportement alimentaire Ljotsson et al., 2007 73 anorexiques TCC individuels + site web TCC versus liste d’attente Diminution nombres crise boulimiques et/ou vomissements intentionnels à 3 et 6 mois
Pathologies cardiopulmonaires HTA Castro et al., 2005 22 sujets âgés Éducation assistée par site web versus recherche internet libre sur l’HTA Amélioration connaissances sur HTA supérieure dans groupe éducation assistée
Roumie et al., 2006 182 médecins suivant 1341 patients présentant une HTA essentielle Réception d’un e-mail avec lien vers le JNC 7 (1) versus FMC médecin + alerte patient par mail si HTA (2) versus FMC médecin +alerte patient+ éducation patient (3) Proportion de patients ayant un PAS < 140 mmHg supérieure dans groupe 3 à 6 mois
Prévention secondaire post IDM Southard et al., 2003 104 patients après évènement coronarien Connexion site éducatif concernant FDRCV versus soins usuels Moins de récidives d’événement coronarien dans le groupe Internet, investissement par patient = 453$ versus 1418$, soit diminution des coûts de santé
Pathologies cardiorespiratoire ou diabète Lorig et al., 2006 958 porteurs de pathologies chroniques cardiaque, respiratoire, ou DT2 Connexion site d’aide à l’autogestion versus soins usuels Amélioration supérieure dans groupe intervention de douleur, dyspnée, fatigue, stretching et renforcement musculaire à 1 an
Ryan et al., 2009 162 patients sous warfarine Automesure INR à domicile + connexion site d’aide à l’autogestion versus soins usuels Temps en zone cible supérieure dans le groupe intervention
BPCO Nguyen et al., 2008 50 BPCO Programme éducatif gestion dyspnée : entretien individuel versus site Internet Amélioration score Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire et AP dans les 2 groupes sans différence intergroupe à 3 et 6 mois ; pas de diminution du nombre d’exacerbations
Asthme Jan et al., 2007 164 enfants asthmatiques Taiwanais Programme suivi + éducatif Internet versus agenda Amélioration significative dans groupe intervention de : symptômes diurnes et nocturnes, peakflow, qualité de vie, connaissances
Joseph et al., 2007 314 étudiants sud-africains asthmatiques (15–19 ans) Site Internet éducatif spécifique CC versus sites génériques sur l’asthme Amélioration adhérence et diminution symptomes dans groupe intervention, avec stabilité qualité de vie versus dégradation dans le groupe témoin à 12 mois
Krishna et al., 2009 268 enfants asthmatiques Site Internet éducatif interactif versus programme éducatif national par oral Diminution symptômes, visites médicales, doses corticostéroïdes inhalés, amélioration connaissance dans groupe intervention à 12 mois
Van der Meer et al., 2009 [70] 200 adultes asthmatiques Site Internet aide autogestion versus soins usuels Amélioration contrôle symptômes, VEMS, sans amélioration exacerbations, et amélioration qualité de vie mais inférieure à la limite cliniquement pertinente à 12 mois dans le groupe intervention
Psychiatrie et conduites addictives Dépression Andersson et al., 2005 117 adultes dépression légère à modérée Site internet CC+contact minimal avec thérapeute versus groupe de discussion Plus grande réduction des symptômes dépressifs dans le groupe intervention à 6 mois (Beck Depression Inventory et MADRS-S)
Christiensen et al., 2004 525 adultes avec score ≥ 22 au Kessler psychological distress scale Site Internet informatif sur la dépression versus site CC versus contact téléphonique non centré sur la dépression Diminution score dépression dans les 2 groupes intervention sans différence intergroupe à 6 semaines ( Score au Self-reported 20 item depression scale from the Center for epidemiologic studies )
Christiensen et al., 2006 414 adultes avec score ≥ 22 au Kessler psychological distress scale Accès site informatif simple versus accès site CC versus soins usuels Plus de demande d’informations, plus de recours aux massage et pratique d’exercices dans groupe intervention, versus diminution contact avec amis et famille dans groupe témoin
Clarke et al., 2002 299 adultes suivis pour dépression Accès site informatif simple versus Accès site CC versus soins usuels Pas de différence intergroupe (version en ligne de la Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) à 4, 8, 16 et 32 semaines ; plus de perdus de vus dans groupe intervention avec échantillon final plus déprimé
Griffiths et al., 2004 525 adultes avec score ≥ 22 au Kessler psychological distress scale Accès site informatif simple versus Accès site CC versus soins usuels Amélioration perception symptômes dépressifs dans groupe intervention
Phobie sociale Titov et al., 2008 [68] 98 patients souffrant de phobie sociale Accès site CC assisté d’un clinicien versus accès même site seul versus liste d’attente Amélioration phobie sociale groupe site CC assisté d’un clinicien > site CC seul > liste d’attente (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale ; Social Phobia Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire Nine-Item, Kessler 10, SDS)
Attaques de panique Carlbring et al., 2005 49 patients souffrant de phobie sociale 10 séances hebdomadaires de TCC avec thérapeute versus 10 connexions hebdomadaires site Internet CC Efficacité des 2 interventions comparable à 10 semaines et à 1 an
Arrêt tabac Etter et al., 2005 11969 sujets (74 % fumeurs, 26 % ex-fumeurs) inclus ; 4237 suivis Connexion site soutien CC versus site plus informatif ; rappel par mail dans les 2 groupes Taux d’arrêt supérieur chez les patients au stade contemplatif pour le groupe CC, pas de différence pour les autres patients à 2,5 mois
Etter et al., 2003 2027 fumeurs ou ex-fumeurs 1 e-mail à orientation différente sur les intérêt des patchs nicotiniques : (1) contrôle ; (2) abstinence temporaire ; (3) réduction ; (4) effets secondaires Motivation pour l’arrêt supérieure dans le groupe (2), inférieure dans le groupe (4)
Sevrage alcoolique Riper et al., 2005 261 adultes hollandais avec consommation alcoolique excessive régulière > 3 mois Connexion site interactif autogestion abstinence versus connexion brochure d’aide en ligne Retour à une consommation inférieure à la moyenne holladaise et diminution moyenne consommation journalière dans le groupe site interactif
Cancérologie Frosch and al, 2003 226 hommes asymptomatiques avant examen pour dépistage cancer prostate Accès à un site informatif versus vidéo informative Amélioration connaissances dans les 2 groupes ; plus de patients déclinant le dosage du PSA dans le groupe vidéo
Douleur postopératoire Goldsmith et al., 1999 195 patients après chirurgie ambulatoire Site informatif sur la douleur après chirurgie ambulatoire versus soins usuels Diminution significative douleur au retour à la maison, la nuit et le jour suivant la chirurgie dans le groupe intervention
Douleur chronique Berman et al., 2009 78 patients souffrant de douleurs chroniques Site autosoins et relaxation en ligne versus liste attente Diminution douleur et limitations dues à la douleur dans les 2 groupes, confiance dans les techniques de relaxation supérieure dans le groupe intervention à 6 semaines
Lorig et al., 2008 855 patients avec douleurs chroniques de l’appareil locomoteur (fibromyalgie, arthrose, polyarthrite rhumatoïde) Site aide autogestion de la douleur versus liste d’attente 4 des 6 paramètres physiques (douleur, fatigue, pathologies intercurrentes, aggravation état santé, handicap ressenti, perception santé globale) à 6 mois et 1 an améliorés seulement dans le groupe intervention à 1 an
Pathologies locomotrices Polyarthrite rhumatoïde van den Berg et al., 2007 [69] 82 patients suivis pour PR Site délivrant un programme individualisé d’AP versus encouragement oral individualisé à la pratique d’une AP 55 % patients déclarés actifs dans les 2 groupes, bonne satisfaction sur l’outil Internet
Chirurgie orthopédique Hekkinen and al., 2008 147 patients candidats à une intervention orthopédique Site Internet éducatif versus éducation par infirmière Amélioration connaissances du geste opératoire dans les 2 groupes
Chirurgie rachidienne Phelan et al., 2001 100 patients lombalgiques candidats à une chirurgie rachidienne DVD multimédia interactif + brochure versus brochure seule Amélioration connaissances dans les 2 groupes, supérieure dans le groupe DVD + brochure ; tendance à préférence plus faible pour la chirurgie dans le groupe DVD + brochure
Dermatologie Dermatite de contact allergique Kist et al., 2004 21 patients présentant une dermatite atopique Connexion à un site de banque de données d’allergènes versus contrôle Pas d’amélioration érythème ni prurit à 3 mois

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Apr 23, 2017 | Posted by in PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION | Comments Off on The Internet and the therapeutic education of patients: A systematic review of the literature

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