Global Connection

 Study on the use of the internet for medical research.

  In November 2000, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported that 52 million American adults relied on the Internet to make critical health decisions. We now find that 73 million American adults use the Internet to research prescription drugs, explore new ways to control their weight, and prepare for doctor's appointments, among other activities. Many say the Internet has helped them or someone they know and very few report harmful effects from acting on bad information they found online.

However, there has been a drumbeat of warnings about the quality of online health information and there is cause for concern about whether consumers are finding the very best advice online. While others have looked at online content and charted its deficiencies, the Pew Internet Project focused on users and asked them how they decide what information to believe and what advice to act on. If indeed there are problems with the quality of online health information, do consumers use sensible strategies to separate the good from the bad?

In a national survey conducted March 1-31, 2002, the Pew Internet Project found that 62% of Internet users, or 73 million people in the United States, have gone online in search of health information. For shorthand purposes, we call them "health seekers" throughout this report. About 6 million Americans go online for medical advice on a typical day. That means more people go online for medical advice on any given day than actually visit health professionals, according to figures provided by the American Medical Association.

Experts say that Internet users should check a health site's sponsor, check the date of the information, set aside ample time for a health search, and visit four to six sites. In reality, most health seekers go online without a definite research plan. The typical health seeker starts at a search site, not a medical site, and visits two to five sites during an average visit. She spends at least thirty minutes on a search. She feels reassured by advice that matches what she already knew about a condition and by statements that are repeated at more than one site. She is likely to turn away from sites that seem to be selling something or don't clearly identify the source of the information. And about one third of health seekers who find relevant information online bring it to their doctor for a final quality check.
 

reprinted with permission, see the full story at www.pewinternet.org