According a Harris poll of 1,010 US (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_healthcare.asp) adults conducted in July, 2008, 150 million Americans claim to go online to obtain health information. While this is a big number (66% of all adults and 81% of those who are online) it represents a decrease from the 160 million reported just a year ago. When Harris began measuring the number of people going online for health information in 1998, they reported 54 million. Here are a few highlights that describe Cyberchondriac behavior in 2008:
- 25% go online often for health info.
- They average 4.8 online searches per month for health info.
- 86% believe the info they get online is reliable
- 47% discuss the info they obtain online with their doctors
- 49% go online to seek info as a result of discussions with their doctors
The Edelman study is based a much larger and more diverse population totaling 5,183 adults distributed approximately evenly among the US, UK, Germany, Russia and China. They found that one in five of those surveyed were Health Info-entials. It is interesting to note that they ranged from 35% in China to 13% in UK. Here are the top five ways Info-entials want companies and organizations involved in health to engage with them:
Help me address health issues that affect me personally
Communicate both positive and negative news to me
Inform me about health conditions that I am concerned about
Inform me about risks and benefits of their products and services
Communicate openly and transparently
It is interesting to note that a well designed interactive Personal Health Record could easily satisfy this wish list.
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