Raise your hand if you've ever left a physician's office without fully understanding what the doctor just told you. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, half of patients admit to not understanding what their doctor told them during an office visit.

As a primary care physician, being unable to clearly communicate with patients is frustrating. The typical, 15-minute office visit often is not sufficient for a thorough discussion. A better way to connect with patients is needed.

Perhaps that is why more patients are turning to the Internet. A June 2009 survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates that 61% of American adults surf the Web for health information, with many looking for user-generated content written by others with similar medical conditions.

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