Study: Problems mount over medical help offered online.

The rise in popularity of Web sites providing free medical advice has been accompanied by an increase in related problems, according to the results of a survey released recently by a medical association pressing for the regulation of online medical consultancy services. Cases include a patient who ended up aggravating her condition after taking medicine recommended on one of the sites, while others have received unsolicited advertisements for medical products. This "double-edged sword" situation--in which medical information that is easy to obtain, is also of questionable value--has led some experts to sound the alarm, saying that measures have to be taken to prevent problems.The Japan Internet Medical Association, which conducted the survey, is made up of about 50 individuals and organizations, such as pharmaceutical companies and doctors who run Web sites. There are about 4,000 medical consultation sites accessible on the Internet. Some are listed under "general hospital," and have more than 10 departments. The Health and Welfare Ministry, however, does not consider these consultations as medical treatment under the Medical Practitioners Law. Because of the law, doctors have to give advice free of charge on the Internet. The association said that there is a degree of risk involved in allowing such services on the Internet, pointing out that authors are sometimes anonymous, and that the advice is not always correct.In its first survey, conducted in January, of medical consultation Web site users, the association received responses from 502 of 830 people polled. According to the survey, 84 percent responded that the consultations were "useful," and 69 percent thought the information was "trustworthy." Conversely, about 30 people cited problems with the consultations. Prof. H. Tatsumi of Sapporo Medical University, the chairman of the association, said that it is necessary to control mailings, including advertisements for medical products, but that other problems are caused by a lack of communication between patient and doctor.