Internet is Source for Many on Health Info

(February 5, 2010) - If you are reading this, then you already know - many people go to the Internet to get health information. As the percentage of adults in the U.S. who use the Internet continues to grow, the Internet has become increasingly important as a source of health information for consumers, according to a study from the National Center for Health Statistics.

People use the Internet for a multitude of reasons. This may include using the Internet to look up health information, using e-mail or text messaging to communicate with healthcare providers or pharmacies, and having an electronic health record. (Read about "Medical Information Printout") But, people also have concerns. Although people believe use of the Internet has the potential to improve consumer health by facilitating communication between providers and patients, and among providers, previous research has found that many consumers are concerned about security and confidentiality issues related to scheduling medical appointments or accessing personal health records online.

Research has shown that 74 percent of adults in the U.S. use the Internet, and 61 percent have used the Internet to search for health or medical information in the past.

Additionally, 49 percent of adults have accessed a website that provides information about a specific medical condition or problem. Adults between the ages of 18 and 49 are more likely than older adults to use the Internet for health information.

The most recent study looked at Internet use in 2009. Some of the specific things the study found:

• 51 percent of adults aged 18-64 had used the Internet to look up health information during the past 12 months.
• Over 3 percent of adults, aged 18-64, had used an online chat group to learn about health topics in the past 12 months.
• Among adults aged 18-64, women were more likely than men to look up health information on the Internet (58.0 percent versus 43.4 percent) and were also more likely to use online chat groups to learn about health topics (4.1 percent versus 2.5 percent).
• From January through June 2009, almost 5 percent of adults aged 18-64 had communicated with a healthcare provider by e-mail in the past 12 months.
• During the first 6 months of 2009, 6 percent of adults aged 18-64 requested a refill of a prescription on the Internet, and almost 3 percent had made an appointment with a health care provider in the past 12 months using the Internet.