Abstract

ROCHA, Maria Luiza Toledo Leite Ferreira da  and  TANAKA, Ana Cristina d'Andretta. The Gynecologists and obstetricians and internet. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2009, vol.19, n.3, pp. 412-425. ISSN 0104-1282.

PURPOSE: to identify the influence of the use of internet on medical practice and verify all changes about its use among gynecologists and obstetricians. METHODS: a postal questionnaire was sent to 1.120 gynecologists and obstetricians of São Paulo city, 152 of which were returned, which represents a return rate of 13.6% and 6.1% of all the professionals of SOGESP. The quantitative analysis of the doctors' behavior related to the use of the internet has been made by calculation of averages, proportions, standard deviations and the chi-squared test. Four different groups have been determined by Cluster Analysis depending on the way this technology is used. RESULTS: there was no relationship between age, sex and development of only Gynecology or Obstetrics related to use of internet. PhDs tend to use internet more. Wuth respect to the offning of medical services, receiving and sending exams through e-mail was the most common activity realized by the physicians. CONCLUSIONS: the gynecologists and obstetricians investigated in this research project use internet in their medical practice, for the updating of data collection, for communication with patients or offning their medical services by the Web. Although its use has been improved doctors are afraid of possible negative consequences regarding the physician-patient relationship and legal, economic and ethical consequences that this use may bring to clinical practice.

Keywords : internet; gynecology; obstetrics; physician-patient relationship; information; communication.

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