Accessibility on the Internet to epilepsy specialists in Japan

抄録

We aimed to investigate accessibility to epilepsy specialists in Japan using the Internet. We obtained a list of epilepsy specialists from the Japan Epilepsy Society website. The list contained the name, specialty, institution, and institutional address of each epilepsy specialist. We accessed each institution's website to determine the accessibility of information on epilepsy specialists in Japan. Nearly all hospitals and university hospitals had their own websites (99.6%), and most listed certified epilepsy specialists (81.3%). In comparison, fewer clinics and other institutions had their own websites (75.3% and 86.1%, respectively). Physician transfer and outdated website information were factors estimated to hinder access to correct information about epilepsy specialists. Our findings provide basic data regarding patients' access to information about epilepsy specialists on the Internet, which may help to improve accessibility for patients seeking certified epilepsy specialists. The data may also be helpful to clinicians who are involved in health care transition.