EDITOR Allison Druin allisond@umiacs.umd.edu

a better understanding of what is going on. Yet doctors often underestimate the types and amount of information that patients want, or they lack the time to explain everything. Even if doctors do try to explain, their explanations are often too technical for laypeople to fully understand [ 3].

Second, the Internet could be an effective alternative source of health information (it’s perhaps an inevitable one). In recent years government agencies (e.g., the National Institutes of Health), nongovernment organizations (e.g., medical associations), and for-profit companies are increasingly moving health information and services online. The Web has already become an important source of health information for the majority of Internet users, and the older population has started to realize the potential of the Internet in meeting health-information needs [ 4]. Among older Internet users, one of the primary reasons for wanting to use the Internet is to seek health information [ 5]. Health-information seeking is one of the most commonly reported online activities for older (and younger) adult Web users.

Third, it is important to note that the older population’s general adoption of the Internet [ 6] still lags behind that of younger age groups significantly. Even among the small number of older adults who are beginning to use the Internet for health information, the majority of them lack sophisticated online search skills and strategies that can help them to make maximal use of online resources. When seeking health information online, most people simply start their searches with commercial search engines; very few use authoritative health-information portal websites (e.g., those developed by the National Institutes of Health or medical associations) as a starting point, something Margaret’s case reflects. While Internet users report being skeptical of the credibility of online health information, the majority of them actually pay very little attention, if any, to the date and origin of the health information they find on the Internet [ 7, 4].

The power of the Internet in providing health information fits well with the paradigm shift in doctor-patient relationships. While only a few decades ago patients were expected to be passive receivers of medical care and doctors expected to be making all of the decisions, healthcare professionals now encourage patients to be well informed and to play a more active role in their healthcare. This new paradigm can empower patients, improve the quality of healthcare and patients’ satisfaction, and

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[ 4 ]Fox, S. (2006). Online Health Search. Washington DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Accessed July 3, 2007 <http:// www.pewInternet. org/pdfs/PIP_Online_ Health_2006.pdf>.

[ 5] Morrell, R. W., C. B. Mayhorn, and K. V. Echt. "Why Older Adults Use and Do Not Use the Internet." In Gerotechnology: Research and Practice In Technology and Aging, edited by D. C. Burdick and S. Kwon. New York: Springer, 2004.

[ 6] Fox, S. (2005). Generations Online. Washington D. C.: PE W Internet & American Life. Accessed March 16, 2007 <http://www. pewInternet.org/pdfs/ PIP_Generations_ Memo.pdf>.

[ 7] Eysenbach, G., and C. Köhler. “How Do Consumers Search for and Appraise Health Information on the World Wide Web? Qualitative Study Using Focus Groups, Usability Tests, and In-Depth Interviews.” BMJ 324 (2002):, 573–577.