Patients are influenced by information they see on digital channels. Healthcare and pharma companies can gain valuable insights from consumers’ health-related online activity and reach them at more points along the customer journey.

Consumers act on the medical information and advice they get online

Over half of respondents in our survey (53.5%) have used digital channels to self-diagnose a medical condition. These consumers found search engines (37.5%) and health information websites (32.1%) to be the most valuable sources. Self-diagnoses typically prompt trips to the doctor: Only 14.8% never confirmed their self-assessments with a medical professional, per our survey. Following a self-diagnosis, consumers may search for a medication or treatment they think can help.

Younger consumers heed the health advice they see on social media. The vast majority of Gen Zers (88.8%) and millennials (76.9%) in our survey who use social media for health purposes follow and/or engage with health influencers. Most social health influencers with whom consumers interact are medical professionals (66.4%) or patients who have a medical condition in which users are interested (55.4%). And 69.5% of Gen Zers and 53.1% of millennials who encounter health-related information on social media have followed the medical advice even if it contradicted their physician.

Consumers are also acting on medical information they get from AI tools. Around half (47%) of consumers who use platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude for health purposes do so to research health conditions, per a December 2024 Tebra survey. Diagnosing symptoms (43%), researching mental health resources (31%), and looking up a drug’s side effects (29%) are other use cases. And about one-quarter of health-focused AI users acted on the guidance provided by the tech’s output without asking a doctor.

Read the report, The 2025 Healthcare Consumer.