I hope you are all enjoying the short bursts of sunshine and the promise of spring. Here at IDS we are busy preparing for our April cycle and looking forward to displaying new leaflet titles in GP surgeries, pharmacies and online. Speaking of online activity, the Google study, “Connecting with Physicians Online” (November 2009) has been doing the rounds at the IDS UK offices.

The report that concluded that the internet is an integral part of clinical practice, although covered American physicians provides useful information on how healthcare professionals use the web. The report found that:

• 86% have used the internet to gather health, medical, or prescription drug information.
• 58% access the internet more than once a day.
• 31% made a change in a patient’s medication as a result of online research
• 30% initiated treatment as a result of online research.
• 73% Consider the internet to be a standard part of clinical practice

The report which confirms what most of us had already guessed, “The internet…has transformed medical practice” proves an interesting read and is worth a look – just search using the report title.