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Why do some Dutch people fully immerse themselves in the Internet to search for information about diseases or conditions? Why are others only willing to accept personal advice from doctors? Why do certain online communities of patient groups and peers grow so spectacularly? And why are other patients much more hesitant to share their medical experiences? Are people directly stimulated in their consumption and sharing of healthcare information by the increasing possibilities of broadband and Internet services? Or is there an autonomous trend towards an increasing need for more healthcare information, with the Internet and broadband only playing a supportive role?
In collaboration with Utrecht University, a research question has been formulated to gain more insight into online medical information and its users. This research question is formulated as follows:
How is the Internet used and experienced compared to other media with regards to online health information, what are determinants of the use of this online health information, and what are the effects on offline healthcare behaviour measured in the Dutch population?
