Palliative care on the net: An online survey of health care professionals

A survey was conducted to explore Internet use by palliative care health pr ofessionals (HCP). The survey was placed on the World Wide Web with an unde rlying database, and palliative care HCP were invited to participate via a palliative-care-related website, listserv, and newsletter. A total of 417 e valuable responses were received over a four-month period. Of these, 36% in dicated they were from physicians and 30% from nurses, a third of responden ts were practicing palliative care full time. Although 63% of respondents w ere from North America, regions from all over the world were represented. E ighty-eight percent of respondents were searching the Internet for clinical information, 80% were using email, 69% were accessing online medical journ als, and 59% were subscribers to a palliative-care-related listserv or news group. This survey illustrates the global outreach of the Internet and draw s attention to the growing interest in the use of the Internet for educatio n, research, and clinical use. Further development of online resources shou ld address the needs of users. Evaluation of these resources is called for.