Doctor in the House

As a user of the Internet, you may think that scouring the Web to either find a doctor or to check on your doctor's credentials would be a good bet. After all, there are dozens of Web sites that claim they can help. Some are commercial, like WebMD. Others are run by hospitals, governments, health plans or physician organizations. The sites profile anywhere from several dozen to tens of thousands of doctors. However, a recently published white paper says all doctor search Web sites as inadequate.

Physicians from the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDC) and the Commonwealth Fund studied 40 popular Web sites and conducted interviews with prospective users. The results were published in a comprehensive report called "Accessing Physician Information on the Internet."

The researchers found that consumers tend to search for specific information. They want to find a description of the physician including:

gender

race

location of the office

average wait time

expertise

medical school attended

bedside manner

Other important measures of quality were the number of specific procedures performed, complication rates, complaints and malpractice suits.

The Commonwealth Fund's report found that Web site search results typically do not include all relevant physicians. And when sites do include all relevant physicians, only a minimal amount of information -- such as medical school and specialty board certification -- is typically provided.

Futhermore, when sufficient information is provided, there was still no evidence that the data had been verified and/or was objective. In fact, physicians often provide and update their own data online.

The study thus determined that "there are pervasive problems with the quality, quantity, and accuracy of information on physician directory Web sites. Improving these sites should become a priority for those responsible for them and for physicians themselves."

But on a brighter note, the report concluded that "as the Internet in general, and individual sites with physician information in particular, continues to evolve and improve, all users will benefit. The best sites will become essential tools in educating and empowering consumers and enabling medical professionals to improve health care."