The New York Times

To the Editor:

Re "Awash in Information, Patients Face a Lonely, Uncertain Road" ("Being a Patient" series, front page, Aug. 14):

Twelve years ago, when I was told that I had a terminal and incurable form of leukemia, there was no Internet as we know it now. An Internet search today for my condition yields almost half a million listings.

As patients, we have moved from a dearth of information to information overload. Patients now need guidance, not more information.

Doctors, patient organizations, managed care companies and corporations all have an interest and a considerable stake in promoting patient responsibility and understanding. These groups have come to recognize that the best way to advance the treatment of patients is through the adoption of medical best practices.

The next step is for these groups to work together to advance "patient best practices" - collecting and disseminating the best approaches patients have developed to navigate the Internet and our modern health system.

Andrew Robinson

Brooklyn, Aug. 17, 2005

The writer is executive director of Patient2Patient, which provides Web guides about chronic and acute health conditions.