ABSTRACT
Currently, the fi eld of medicine is confronted with new developments that allow individuals to access health information outside of a context where healthcare professionals are involved. In a recent report, the Nuffi eld Council on Bioethics identifi ed this phenomenon as ‘online medicine’:
developments in digital technology, largely involving the internet, that offer new ways for individuals to obtain and share health advice, diagnosis and medication, and that provide new possibilities for storing, accessing and sharing health records, monitoring individuals’ health status and communicating with health professionals and other patients.
