JMIR J Med Internet Res Journal of Medical Internet Research 1438-8871 Gunther Eysenbach Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, Toronto, Canada v1isuppl1e72 10.2196/jmir.1.suppl1.e72 Abstract MED35/450: Evaluation of Internet Health Portals Brucksch M 1 Lenz C 1 1 Uni-Klinik Heidelberg, Heidelberg Germany Jul-Sep 1999 19 9 1999 1 suppl1 e72 Except where otherwise noted, articles published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1999 Introduction

Currently, more than 22 million U.S. adults use the Internet to access health and medical information. More and more Health Care online portals - entry points for large numbers of online surfers looking for specialized news and information - try to satisfy the exploding demand.

 Methods

Using desk-research we have done an in-depth analysis of the emerging health portal market focusing on services offered, revenue strategies, typical online hurdles and threats, commerce and advertising potentials, and case studies of the main players.

 Results

We have identified several different groups of health portals and worked out the differences between the U.S. and German market concerning patient and physician services offered. Furthermore, we have evaluated the effectiveness of the Internet as a health and medical information provider compared with other media, such as televisions, newspapers and magazines.

 Discussion

Health portals will make patients better informed, more empowered to make health care choices, and, hopefully, healthier individuals.

 Health Portal Internet Medical Education Health Information