Patients' use of the Internet

Female gender 65.2% Age ( above 51 years of age) 66% Level of education: did not complete elementary school 53% Level of education: tertiary school 5.9% Internet access (frequently or whenever possible) 16.9% Internet access (hardly ever) 10% Internet access (do not use) 72% Have already searched the Internet about their health problem 12% Were able to find information on their problem 11% Dear Editor, In Brazil, a country where digital inclusion at home is growing1, there is a lack of data on the patients’ use of the Internet for health information. A survey conducted among 118 patients in the Heart Valve Diseases Outpatient Clinic of InCor, resulted in the findings shown in Table 1. The figure of 11% of active participation, albeit modest, signals the value of initiatives in communication training in the doctor‐patient relationship.