While patients come to NetWellness to better understand their own health, students show up to conduct research on everything from drug interactions to kidney functions to health concerns of minority groups. The main attraction is knowing "the information comes from world-class experts," says Steve Marine, director of outreach for the Medical Center's Academic Information Technology and Libraries (AIT&L). "It gives people confidence.
"Conducting medical research on the Internet is so commonplace that docs see patients with 50 pages printed off the Web. On other sites, it's difficult to identify the source. If the pages say 'NetWellness,' the docs don't worry."
In fact, patients who do NetWellness homework first discuss their conditions more intelligently, says Roger Guard, AIT&L director and assistant senior vice president. One health-care provider replied online that NetWellness research led an arthritic patient toward "improved communication and compliance, a better attitude and an enhanced quality of life."
Many things stand in the way of obtaining the same medical information straight from the doctor's mouth. The shock of hearing words like "malignant" keeps patients from thinking straight. Admitting one's ignorance can be embarrassing. Furthermore, patients often feel rushed and need time to think of questions.
Once they have formulated questions, they simply log on and "Ask an Expert," a service in which 200 of Ohio's top medical researchers and physicians answer anonymous questions within a few days. Doctors post answers online "in lay language," Guard says. Marine knows of no other medical site that promises to answer every legitimate question.
"It's one of a kind," says Guard, "because it's inter-institutional, interdisciplinary and operating in virtual space. We've got nurses from UC working with doctors from Case Western Reserve working with physical therapists from Ohio State. That kind of collaboration normally doesn't happen even within one institution."
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