Orthopaedic Information on the Internet: 1998–2011

The internet is a great source of information that has seen exponential growth over the last decade (Figure 1). In 1996 there were 100,000 websites on the internet compared with over 160 million in 2008. The number of people with access to the internet has also increased from 361 million in the year 2000 to nearly 2 billion in 2010. The internet is also used for various purposes other than obtaining information. Nevertheless, a study conducted by Bupa Heath Pulse found that nearly half of patients who search for medical information do so for the purpose of self-diagnosis.