In my Daily Dose email blast yesterday from Modern Healthcare they gave a brief synopsis of the findings from a new study that shows that consumers are increasingly using the Internet and other resources to gather information related to their personal health concerns. The national study conducted by the Center for Studying Health System Change can be accessed online and compares its findings to benchmark data from 2001. Here are some of the top-line findings:
* People turning to a friend or relative for healthcare information increased from 19.7% to 31%
* People turning to books, magazine or newspapers increased from 23% to 32.7%.
* Reliance on TV and radio increased only modestly from 11.3% to 15.3%
According to the study, more than 70 million adults in America used the Internet to seek out health information in 2007 – conducting online health searches. Of course, much of this is due to the overall growth in acceptance of the Web and improved Internet access.
Quoting from the report: “Consumers across all categories of age, education, income, race/ethnicity and health status increased their information seeking significantly, but education level remained the key factor in explaining how likely people are to seek health information.” (Center of Studying Health System Change, Tracking Report No. 20) People with chronic health conditions are more likely than others to seek out health information on their own. What I found fascinating was that more than half of the consumers who reported actively researching health concerns said that the information changed their “overall approach to maintaining their health.” Four out of five reported that the health information they gathered helped them better understand how to treat their condition.
Here’s another interesting finding from the report: 42% of the adults surveyed sought out information on behalf of others – either for other adults or for their children. “Women were more prone than men to seek information on behalf of other adults, likely reflecting the greater frequency with which women act as caregivers and care coordinators for the rest of the family, including spouses and elderly parents.” (HSC Tracing Report No. 20)
I encourage you to check out this fascinating report. Use the link provided earlier in this post or go to http://www.hschange.org.
