Dr. Google’s office never closes

Susannah Fox

Pew Internet Project

April 14, 2005

Being online is the norm – but it is not universal

Internet adoption

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1995

Mar

-00

Jun-

00

Dec-0

0

Feb-0

1

Jan-

02

Sep-0

2

Nov-0

2

May

-03

Aug-0

3

Feb-0

4

Dec-0

4

Am

eric

an a

du

lts

61%

Broadband adoption affects the internet health marketplace

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Jun-

00

Sep-0

0

Dec-0

0

Mar

-01

Jun-

01

Sep-0

1

Dec-0

1

Mar

-02

Jun-

02

Sep-0

2

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2

Mar

-03

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Sep-0

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Mar

-04

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Mill

ion

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f A

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ican

s

55 million

.

Hypothesis:Industrial Age medicine is dead…

medical science

PHYSICIAN

patient

non-MD staff

Hypothesis: …Information Age medicine is here

NET-SAVVYPATIENT my other

health experts

otherself-helpers

my searchengine

my onlinesupportgroups

my primarydoc

my favoritehealth sites

my specialistdocmy online

patient-helpers

my onlinedocsqualityware

& communityware

95 million health seekers in the U.S.

8 in 10 internet users have searched for at least one of 16 health topics

Big impact for people caring for sick loved ones

High expectations that reliable health care information will be online

Half of internet “health seekers” say they will turn first to the internet for their next health question

Specific disease and treatment information top the search list

63% of internet users have looked online for information about a specific disease or medical problem

47% for certain medical treatment or procedure 44% for diet, nutrition, vitamins, or nutritional

supplements 36% for exercise or fitness 34% for prescription or OTC drugs Plus 11 other topics

How internet users gather health information

Most: Scattershot searches in response to a diagnosis

Some: Targeted email health news or medical updates

Few: Online support groups or email lists for people concerned about a particular health or medical issue

Bad information is dangerous

RAND/CHCF: Online advice is incomplete and hard to understand – esp. for Spanish readers

NEJM: Americans receive about half of recommended medical care

Three types of health seeker

Vigilant: 25% “always” check the source, date, and privacy policy of a health Web site

Concerned: 25% check “most of the time”

Unconcerned: 50% “only sometimes,” “hardly ever,” or “never” check

Conclusion

More Americans look for health info online than see a doctor on a typical day

Search engines are the starting point, not specialized sites

Email is used for advice and support, esp. for chronically ill & caregivers

Few verify information quality, but many use what they find

Contact information

Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project

Sfox(at)pewinternet.org 202 419 4500