A descriptive project evaluation to determine Internet access and the feasibility of using the Internet for cardiac education

OBJECTIVE: The study's objective was to evaluate patients attending a cardiac secondary prevention clinic on their accessibility to the Internet and to investigate their perceptions on using the Internet to obtain educational information for secondary prevention. DESIGN: This was a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional project. SETTING: The study took place at a tertiary care hospital in Southern Ontario, Canada. SUBJECTS: The subjects were 50 individuals attending a cardiac secondary prevention clinic. They were primarily male (80%) with an average age of 60 years. MEASURES: A self-administered questionnaire was used that identified demographics, current Internet access, experience with using the Internet for health care information, and perceptions of the utility of Internet information. RESULTS: Sixty-six percent had Internet access at home, and 51% said they used the Internet daily. A significant number of participants indicated they would access an Internet site for continued educational support after discharge from a secondary prevention cardiac clinic. CONCLUSION: The results from this project evaluation suggest that Internet-based education would be a valuable adjunct to current secondary prevention care delivery models.