Have a health problem? Chances are you’ve turned to the Internet for advice.
According to “The Social Life of Health Information Report” from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation, 61% of US adults went online for health information.
Nearly one-half of consumers looked for information on a specific disease or problem, 41% needed information on a specific medical procedure, 35% were looking for a doctor and 33% wanted information on prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
The least common searches were for mental health issues, experimental treatments or travel-related health information.
Almost two-thirds of women researched health issues online, compared with 57% of men.
In addition, 65% of whites, 51% of African-Americans and 44% of Hispanics searched for health information.
Online health research rose with education and income, and the younger Internet users were, the more likely they were to search.
All this doesn’t mean doctors are being outsourced to the Internet.
“The internet supplements, but does not replace, traditional sources of health information,” wrote Pew researchers in the report.
“The vast majority of people with a health question or concern say they consult a health professional (86%) or a friend or family member (68%).”
While the Internet is unquestionably an important source of health information, people still prefer to get their diagnoses face-to-face.
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