Health Research Comes Alive Online July 7th, 2009
Regina Hopper

When it comes to medical advice, consulting a doctor has long been the only real option. Now, thanks to broadband, consumers are making excellent use of other online resources to enhance their health knowledge – from blogs and podcasts to reviews of doctors to online searches for health information. According to a Pew Internet and American Life Project study, today’s “e-patients” are becoming increasingly engaged over the Internet, with 61% of American adults going online to find health information.

In addition to turning to traditional sources of health information, the study reveals e-patients are participating online through an array of forums, including:

• 60% of e-patients have written or created new health content, including posting comments, questions, reviews, photos, videos, or audio files.
• 41% of e-patients consult blogs, group forums, or online news sources to hear firsthand experiences related to specific health or medical issues.
• 24% of e-patients have checked rankings or reviews of online medical professionals and facilities.
• 19% of e-patients have requested updates regarding health issues, and 13% of e-patients have tuned into a health-related podcast.

Just how much sway does Internet information hold with e-patients? According to the study, 60% said online information influenced their decision regarding how to treat an illness or condition. Others reported online information helped enlighten them on ways to get healthier – with 56% saying they changed their health care approach, and 49% saying their perspective about diet, exercise, or stress management improved for the better. And, for 38% of e-patients, online information played an invaluable role in guiding their decision to see a doctor.

Interestingly, despite the explosion of social networking and Twitter, few e-patients use sites like MySpace and Facebook for health-related discussions with friends, or for personal posts profiling their experiences. The study’s authors speculate this will change as wireless connections drive deeper engagement and as the predominant age group participating in social networking (ages 18 to 49) face health care questions and concerns.

While medical professionals and institutions will always be integral to our health, broadband is connecting patients with a wealth of important information, as well as speeding other life-enhancing advances from telemedicine to health IT.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 3:30 pm and is filed under Benefits of Broadband, Reports and Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.