Use of the world wide web by cardiac surgery patients.

Internet use has expanded globally over the last 10 years. The aim of this study was to determine the extent that cardiac patients researched their forthcoming procedures using the internet and to determine their perception of reliability. Sixty-eight consecutive cardiac patients (51 men, median age 67 years) were surveyed on their frequency of internet use, whether they used the internet to research their operation and how reliable they regarded the information found. Forty-two patients had access to the internet, 29 patients used the web on a regular basis but 33 reported that they never used the web. Fourteen patients used the internet to research their operation themselves. Patients <65 years were over twice as likely to have internet access (P<0.0001). However, the use of the internet to do research is low irrespective of age (P=0.28). Forty-five patients felt that information found on the internet was reliable. Despite a general increase in internet access, there is still low usage amongst cardiac patients to research their operation. Patients do, however, have confidence in what is available on-line. Patient education by the multi-disciplinary team before surgery remains of paramount importance.