7 July 2010
While three quarters of people are going online for health information, many say there are just too many sites to choose from and would like recommendations from doctors, according to a new US survey on patient behavior from consumer engagement specialists Kyp and Opinion Research Corporation.
The research found that while 76% of respondents search the Internet for health information, just 22% use it as their first source of information when suspecting a health problem. Interestingly, only 22% of young adults aged 18-34—the so-called Internet Generation— first go online for health information, compared to those aged 35-44 (35%) and 45-54 (24%).
More than half of the 18-34 demographic (55%) say that "there is just too much choice" and they "simply didn’t know where to turn for the best advice." This lack of direction has left patients unclear of the best way to navigate medical information online.
The study also found that while half of adults consider their doctor to be the primary influencer in choosing which sites to visit, just 25% actually receive recommendations from their physicians. For those going online to find health information, two-thirds (65 %) are looking to health portals (such as WebMD) and just 2% visit drug or pharmaceutical company Web sites.
”This suggests that the healthcare industry should support physicians in connecting patients with online resources that help them understand and manage their conditions,” according to Kyp CEO Nicholas Miller.
“Patients would like to use the Web to research health issues, but are being put off by the huge number of different and competing Web sites they have to choose from,” Miller said. “The market is there and it is asking for direction – specifically from healthcare professionals.”
“At the same time, the healthcare industry is heavily investing in meaningful digital tools that are only being used by a small proportion of patients,” he added. “Developing resources that make it easy for physicians to make recommendations and easy for patients to access them is key.”
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