Virtual health care: unresolved legal issues.

Abstract

As online health care begins to look more like the practice of medicine, a range of legal questions has emerged. This article examines issues of concern to both Internet users and health care practitioners, focusing in particular on the laws relating to negligence and disclaimers. It concludes that interactive contact between doctor and patient in cyberspace may very well be viewed by the courts as akin to the practice of health care and that the typical disclaimer may not insulate practitioners from liability.