One Third of Americans Research Doctors Online

Posted by Peter McEllhenney on 6 December 2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: Health Trends & Statistics

35% of adults in the United States look for information about physicians and other health-care providers on the web according to a 2009 report published by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

This report, titled “The Social Life of Health Information,” also found that the sex, age, education, and income of the person all affected how likely they were to research doctors online.

The one third of adults seeking information …

• Were more likely to be women than men.

• Were more likely to be under 50 years old.

• Were more likely to have graduated college.

• Were more likely to have $75,000 and above in household income.

The Pew study reported similar information regarding hospitals and other medical facilities. 28% of American adults look on the web for information about these institutions.

This data from “The Social Life of Health Information” is confirmed by research out of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

In Deloitte’s “2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers,” 25% of Americans go to the web to learn more about the quality of care provided by physicians. 12% used the internet to research provider costs.

This data is a reason internet marketing is important for doctors and other health-care providers who need more patients for their practices.

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