E marketer online_health_information_seekers-internet_use_grows_but_doctors_orders_still_apply

Copyright ©2013 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved.
A Growing Demand for Health Information Online 2
Where Health Consumers Are Going Online—And Why 6
Doctor Still Seems to Know Best 8
Conclusions 9
eMarketer Interviews 10
Related eMarketer Reports 10
Related Links 10
February 2013
Executive Summary: The internet is an increasingly important source of information for people seeking
information about health and healthcare. But most online health seekers still rely on their doctors to recommend
the best course of treatment.
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Women with children in the household are the primary users of
online health information—they are the “chief medical officers”
of their families. Roughly three-quarters of US women use the
internet for health information, according to the Pew Internet
& American Life Project, and many of them do so nearly daily.
Seniors are another key group accessing the web for health
information, and although they are less web-savvy than
younger users, the characteristics of the age group will shift
rapidly as baby boomers pass age 65.
This report focuses on health information seekers—i.e., people
who go online to learn about specific health conditions and
treatment options. It does not focus on wellness seekers, who
go online for overall wellness information, including information
about fitness, exercise and mental well-being.
Key Questions
■■ How many people use the internet for health information?
■■ How do moms use the internet for health purposes, and how
does their use differ from that of other groups?
■■ What kinds of information are online health seekers
looking for?
■■ What are the online health information needs specific
to seniors?
% of total
Primary Reason that Patients Search for Health
Information Online According to Healthcare
Professionals* in North America, March 2012
To learn about their
health condition
50%
To learn about
available treatment
options
35%
To learn about
a medication
6%
Other
5%
Unknown
4%
Note: *health education specialists, nurse practitioners, registered
dietitians, nurses, certiﬁed diabetes educators, patient educators, public
health professionals and social workers
Source: HealthEd Academy, "Healthcare Extender Lens," July 26, 2012
143924 www.eMarketer.com
Richard Meyer
rmeyer@emarkteter.com
Contributors
Danielle Drolet, Cindy Liu
Online Health
Information Seekers:
Internet Use Grows, But Doctors’
Orders Still Apply

Online Health Information Seekers: Internet Use Grows, But Doctors’ Orders Still Apply Copyright ©2013 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
A Growing Demand for Health
Information Online
The use of the internet as a source of health
information has grown in recent years. Women, and
particularly mothers with children at home, are a
major part of that trend.
Comparative Estimates: Health Seekers Online
The number of visitors to US health sites has grown significantly
over the past four years. comScore reported that 157 million
people, or 71.5% of US internet users, visited health-related
websites in 2012. In 2008, that percentage was below 40%.
Estimates of the number of people in the US who access health
information online vary.At the high end, Kantar Media estimated
87% of all US internet users went online for health information in
2012. By contrast, the Pew Internet & American Life Project put
this total at 72%. Several factors may account for the difference,
including the phrasing of survey questions by each research
organization, how they define online health, and how they define
the survey population itself. For example, Harris Interactive
based its results on “all Americans who have ever looked online
for health information,” as opposed to Pew, which limited its
measure to those who had done so in the past year.
% of respondents
Comparative Estimates: US Consumers Who Go Online
for Health Information, 2011 & 2012
2011 2012 Age
Among consumers
Wolters Kluwer Health, May 2012 - 75% 18+
Manhattan Research, Oct 2011 & Oct 2012 73% 73% 18+
Pew Internet & American Life Project, Jan 2013 - 59% 18+
Harris Interactive, Sep 2011 74% - 18+
National Center for Health Statistics, Aug 2012 47% - 18+
Among internet users
Kantar Media, Jan 2013 90% 87% 18+
comScore Inc., April & Aug 2012 68% 72% 2+
Pew Internet & American Life Project, Jan 2013 - 72% 18+
Harris Interactive, Sep 2011 89% - 18+
Source: various, as noted, 2011-2013
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Even with the methodological differences between
researchers, it’s fair to say that well more than half of US
consumers seek health information online. While the growth
rate of online health information seekers is most likely
unsustainable, eMarketer predicts that searches for online
health information will remain high for several reasons.
For one thing, people are going to the doctor less. The US
Census Bureau reported that among working-age adults, the
number of annual doctor visits fell from 4.8 in 2001 to 3.9 in
2010. It seems likely that this trend will lead to more people
using the internet for health purposes.
The other challenge is the rising cost of employer-provided
health insurance. While employers still shoulder a substantial
share of their employees’ healthcare insurance expenses,
employees have been paying a larger portion of the total
amount every year as companies pass costs onto their
workers. In addition, some people with employer-based health
insurance are finding that their co-pays—the money they pay
directly to the doctor for an office visit—are also increasing.
Finally, the baby boom generation is reaching retirement age.
As baby boomers pass age 65, their heavy use of the web will
change usage patterns for the “senior” demographic overall as
the senior population gains a steady influx of more frequent
and more web-savvy internet users.
The population that seeks health information online has
certain clearly defined characteristics. Importantly, it is
predominantly female. Women, who are sometimes referred
to as “the chief medical officers” of their families, are using
the internet for health information more than men. According
to Pew, nearly 8 in 10 US female internet users went online
for health information in the year ended in September 2012,
compared to 65% of US male internet users.
Older consumers are generally less active users of the
internet, and that goes for their health information searching
as well. Pew found a significant 58% of US internet users
ages 65 and older tapped into health resources online. Those
searchers were in the minority, though, as less than one-third
of all US consumers in that age group went online for health
information, Pew noted.

% of respondents in each group
Demographic Proﬁle of US Internet Users vs. Total
Consumers Who Look Online for Health Information,
Sep 2012
Internet users
Gender
Female 79%
Male 65%
Age
18-29 76%
30-49 75%
50-64 71%
65+ 58%
Race/ethnicity
White 73%
Black 69%
Hispanic 66%
Household income
<$30K 65%
$30K-$50K 71%
$50K-$75K 81%
$75K+ 80%
Education level
Some high school 57%
High school 63%
Some college 74%
College graduate 81%
Total 72%
Total
64%
53%
72%
67%
54%
30%
60%
51%
48%
45%
61%
77%
78%
27%
45%
67%
78%
59%
Note: in the past year
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Health Online" sponsored
by California HealthCare Foundation, Jan 15, 2013
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It is also worth noting that the Pew study pointed up
significant differences tied to income and education levels. It
found that wealthier and better educated internet users were
far more likely to access the internet for health information.
The reasons for this vary, but the complexity and depth of
online health information, especially for complicated health
conditions like cancer, are likely factors. The National Network
of Libraries of Medicine found that patients who used the
internet for health information faced “complex information
and treatment decisions” that require a number of skills, such
as computer literacy, to correctly use the health information
they find. Similarly, complexity of language can be a barrier.
Loyola University Medical Center in 2012 examined 62
websites that focused on prostate cancer and found that only
three of them had treatment information written below a
9th-grade reading level.
Data from Manhattan Research adds to the profile of online
health information seekers. Its “Cybercitizen Health 2012”
report found that the mean annual income of online health
seekers was $52,400 and that 33% were parents with one or
more children under the age of 18 in the household.
For healthcare marketers, there are several key demographic
groups to consider: women, seniors and caregivers (who
may also be part of the first two groups). Their search for
health information online varies according to income, level of
education and ethnicity, as explored in the following sections.
Women: The ‘Chief Medical Officer’ of the Family
Women play an outsized role in the world of online health.
They not only are likely to be the “Chief Household Officer,” but
also the “Chief Medical Officer,” with the internet a key tool to
help them manage their families’ health.
In a 2011 survey by BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting
website, 86% of women said they made the decisions about
the healthcare treatments their families used. While most said
they trusted their doctors, they still went online before and
after office visits to learn more about prescribed treatments
and diagnosed health conditions.
Women are not light internet users, either. Enspektos, a
company that provides marketing services to healthcare
organizations, found in January 2012 that 60% of mom internet
users accessed the internet for health content “frequently” or
“very frequently”—and nearly one-third searched the internet
for health information once a day or every few days.
% of respondents
Frequency with Which US Mom Internet Users
Consult Select Digital Channels for Health Content,
Jan 2012
Internet
33% 27% 25% 8% 7%
Very frequently
Frequently
Somewhat frequently
Infrequently
Very infrequently
Note: n=573 with children ages 6 months-18 living in their household
Source: Enspektos, "Digging Beneath the Surface: Understanding the Digital
Health Mom," May 9, 2012
Social networks
9% 19% 19% 47%6%
Mobile
3% 4%
10% 12% 71%
Twitter
2% 3%
6% 8% 81%
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Erin Byrne, executive vice president, managing partner and
chief engagement officer at healthcare communications
agency Grey Healthcare Group, said the connection between
moms and the internet is hard to overstate. She quoted a
focus group participant as saying, “I am the family doctor, and
the internet is my nurse.”
Kate Drummond, media partner at Greater Than One, an online
agency specializing in healthcare digital marketing, underscored
that relationship, calling women online “Dr. Moms.”
Moms are not just seeking information.They are using technology
A Growing Demand for Health Information Online

to help manage their families’ health.An October 2012 eMarketer
report,“The Mobile-Social Mom: Speeding the Trend Toward
‘Mobile First,’” noted that “moms have long been on the leading
edge of social network use, and they are also ahead of the curve
when it comes to smartphone and tablet ownership.”To that
point, Enspektos found that among moms who had apps on their
mobile devices, nearly half had downloaded health apps.And
Pew reported that among US smartphone owners, women were
more likely than men to use health apps.
Demographic Proﬁle: US Smartphone Owners Who
Use Health Apps, Sep 2012
Female 23%
Male 16%
18-29 24%
30-49 19%
50-64 16%
65+ 10%
Black 21%
White 19%
Hispanic 15%
<$30K
Gender
Race/ethnicity
Age
Income
14%
$30K-$50K 21%
$50K-$75K 21%
$75K+ 23%
Total 19%
Note: apps used to track or manage health
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, "Mobile Health 2012"
sponsored by California HealthCare Foundation, Nov 8, 2012
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Online Seniors: Seeking Age-Specific Information
Seniors are less likely to be online than younger groups,but they
are catching up.And,as Pew reported,once older adults are online,
“the internet becomes a fixture in their lives.”Pew found that 70%
of internet users ages 65 and older were online every day.
eMarketer projects there will be 22.9 million seniors (ages 65
and older) online in 2013, increasing to 24.5 million in 2014.
According to Pew, the percentage of US adults ages 65 and
over who use the internet or email passed the 50% threshold
in 2012, a significant uptick from August 2011, when just 41%
of seniors were using the internet.
Seniors have special needs when it comes to health
information. The National Network of Libraries of Medicine
said, for example, that “older adults use more medical services
and acquire more chronic illnesses than other population
segments.” Yet the American Academy of Family Physicians
found that half of the US seniors it surveyed in March 2012
felt there wasn’t a single online resource where they could
find highly credible health information. Survey respondents
identified certain subjects as especially difficult to locate, such
as information about prescription drugs for the elderly (14%)
and preventative medical care for seniors (13%).
% of respondents
Top 5 Types of Hard-to-Find Health Information
According to US Seniors, March 2012
Prescription drug information for the elderly
14%
Preventative medical care for seniors
13%
Sexuality in later life
12%
Helping older adults deal with life-changing events
11%
Assisted living and other housing options for seniors
9%
Note: n=448 ages 65+
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), "Seniors and
Caregivers" conducted by Harris Interactive, April 24, 2012
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According to healthcare marketing agency Smith & Jones,
seniors research all options, challenge assumptions and
rely on conversations with their doctors to make healthcare
choices. Interestingly, while seniors are not active social
media users, Smith & Jones found they were increasingly
willing to consider reviews and rating systems when choosing
healthcare providers and specialists.
The transformation in seniors seeking online health
information is being driven by the changing demographics and
psychographics of people in the 65-and-over cohort. AARP
estimates that each day for the next 17 years about 8,000
baby boomers will turn 65. Boomers historically have tended
to pride themselves on challenging the status quo. Smith
& Jones found that boomers were inclined to follow their
physicians’ advice while researching their options at the same
time—a stance that might be described as “trust, but verify.”
The Caregiver’s Challenge: Help Me Manage My Caring
Caregivers form a special group of online health information
seekers. Like the overall internet health-seeker group, they are
most likely to be women, but with a different set of concerns
and needs, especially around emotional support.
The nonprofit Family Caregiver Alliance reported that in 2012,
66% of caregivers were women and that more than one-third
took care of two or more people. The older the caregiver, the
more likely it was that the caregiver was a woman: For those

ages 50 and over, 69% were women. In the 18-to-49 age group,
the split was closer to even, with women making up 53% of
the total. The Family Caregivers Alliance said that “research
suggests that the number of male caregivers may continue to
increase for a variety of social and economic factors.”
A Pew report released in June 2012 but featuring data from
September 2010 found that roughly “one-third of US adults
are performing some sort of caregiver role, such as helping a
family member with household chores or managing finances.”
Overall, 79% of caregivers had access to the internet, Pew
said, and of those, 88% looked online for health information.
“Caregivers not only care for their loved one’s physical and
emotional needs, but their information needs as well,” said
Susannah Fox, an associate director at the Pew Research
Center and lead author of the study.
Caregivers have different online needs than people who are
looking for health information for themselves. According to
Kantar Media’s March 2012 “MARS Consumer” health study,
caregivers relied on the internet for both health and wellness
information. The study showed the No. 1 reason caregivers
had gone online to look for health and wellness information
in the previous year was to find information about health
insurance (31%), followed by advice on living with a chronic
condition or managing chronic pain (22%).
% of respondents
Reasons that US Caregivers Go Online for Health and
Wellness Information, March 2012
To ﬁnd information about health insurance, including private
insurance, Medicare or Medicaid
31%
To look for advice on living with a chronic condition or managing
chronic pain
22%
To gather information on long-term care for an elderly or
disabled person
11%
To learn about anti-aging procedures or products
10%
To research joint replacement options (e.g., knee or hip
replacement)
5%
Note: ages 18+; among those who go online for health and wellness
information
Source: Kantar Media, "MARS 2012 Online Behavior Study," June 1, 2012
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The American Academy of Family Physicians found the
internet was playing a more important information role for
caregivers than were family and friends or subspecialists,
but hadn’t yet surpassed the importance of primary care or
other physicians. While there is a wealth of health information
available to them, online caregivers still rely on doctors to help
them sort out what is best for the people under their care.
% of respondents
Sources of Health Information According to US
Caregivers, March 2012
Physician 63%
Primary care physician 60%
Internet 57%
Family/friends 43%
Subspecialist 18%
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The American Academy of Family Physicians also found that
caregivers had a hard time finding information about how
to balance work with caregiving (21%), and likewise found it
difficult to locate information about depression in older adults
(20%) and about how being a caregiver affected their own
health (19%), among other topics.
% of respondents
Top 5 Types of Hard-to-Find Health Information
According to US Caregivers, March 2012
Balancing work and caregiving
21%
Depression in older adults
20%
Caregiver health
19%
Prescription drug information for the elderly
17%
Assisted living and other housing options for seniors
16%
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Where Health Consumers Are
Going Online—And Why
HealthEd Academy, in a survey of healthcare
professionals about their patients, found in March
2012 that the top two reasons patients searched for
health info online were to learn about their health
condition (50%) and available treatment options (35%).
Learning about health problems and researching
treatments allow patients to become partners with
their doctors as they discuss treatment options.
% of total
Primary Reason that Patients Search for Health
Information Online According to Healthcare
Professionals* in North America, March 2012
To learn about their
health condition
50%
To learn about
available treatment
options
35%
To learn about
a medication
6%
Other
5%
Unknown
4%
Note: *health education specialists, nurse practitioners, registered
dietitians, nurses, certiﬁed diabetes educators, patient educators, public
health professionals and social workers
Source: HealthEd Academy, "Healthcare Extender Lens," July 26, 2012
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Publisher Wolters Kluwer Health found in March 2012 that
across all demographic segments, the No. 1 reason people
used the internet to seek health information was because they
wanted to be better informed about a condition before they
visited their physician.
The Wolters Kluwer data pointed up some differences among
age groups. Younger users, accustomed to accessing content
for free and on demand, were more likely than other groups
to cite that kind of accessibility as a reason to go online for
medical information.
Reasons for Using the Internet vs. Visiting a Doctor to
Seek Medical Information According to US Consumers,
by Age, March 2012
To be informed about a condition
before doctor's visit
Accessibility (free, no ofﬁce wait times)
Internet offers more opinions and
treatment options
Internet provides just as sound
medical advice
Would never rely on the internet to
diagnose or to treat an illness
18-34
47%
38%
24%
14%
35%
35-54
53%
24%
23%
9%
39%
55+
43%
23%
20%
18%
51%
Total
48%
29%
23%
13%
41%
Source: Wolters Kluwer Health, "Q1 Poll: Self-Diagnosis," May 16, 2012
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Wolters Kluwer also found that a majority of consumers (67%)
believed that online medical information had made them
better-informed consumers of healthcare. Only 25% said it had
no impact, and a very small percentage, 3%, said it made them
less informed. The results suggest a significant level of trust in
the information being accessed online.
% of total
Impact of Access to Online Medical Information
According to US Consumers, March 2012
Better informed
67%
Less informed
3%
Misinformed
4%
No impact
25%
Don't know
1%
Note: ages 18+
Source: Wolters Kluwer Health, "Q1 Poll: Self-Diagnosis," May 16, 2012
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When it comes to finding specific health information—in
this case prescription drug information—US internet users
turned to general health sites (66%), but also to nonprofit or
government sites (66%), according to a survey by publisher
Rodale Inc. Interestingly, Wikipedia was a popular resource for
prescription drug information for 44% of respondents, despite
the fact that many pharmaceutical companies have chosen
not to post information on Wikipedia because of regulatory
and legal considerations.

% of respondents
Most Useful Sites for Online Prescription Medicine
Information According to US Internet Users, May 2012
General health site
66%
Nonproﬁt or government site
66%
Wikipedia
44%
Rx brand site
44%
Patient community sites
40%
Medicine rating site
36%
Video site (such as YouTube)
32%
Health forums, message boards
31%
Social networking site (such as Facebook)
20%
Health blog
20%
Note: among respondents who go online for prescription medicine
information
Source: Rodale Inc., "2012 Direct to Consumer Survey, Wave 15," July 18,
2012
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According to Experian Hitwise, the top online health sites by
share of US internet user site visits in December 2012 were
WebMD and Yahoo! Health. Both consistently were among the
top health websites throughout 2012.
Top 10 Health and Medical Websites Among US
Internet Users, Ranked by Market Share of Visits,
Dec 2012
1. WebMD 9.6%
2. Yahoo! Health 9.0%
3. Drugs.com 4.2%
4. MayoClinic.com 3.9%
5. Everyday Health 3.5%
6. Healthgrades 3.1%
7. MedicineNet 3.0%
8. QualityHealth.com2.0%
9. HealthHeadlines.com1.8%
10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1.4%
Source: Experian Hitwise as cited by Marketing Charts, Jan 8, 2013
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Information gathered online by health information seekers
is used offline, particularly when those seekers are talking
to their physicians. The Rodale survey found that the leading
sources of information for consumers when talking to their
doctor about a specific condition were online health sites
(50%), but trailing close behind were doctor office brochures
(49%) and direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads (44%). Rodale’s
results illustrate the multichannel nature of health information,
showing that consumers are checking data online and
referring to it with health professionals in person.
% of respondents
Select Information Sources US Consumers Use When
Talking to Their Doctor About a Condition, May 2012
Online health sites 50%
Doctor ofﬁce brochures 49%
DTC ads 44%
Magazines 42%
TV 42%
Pharma brand 36%
Health insurance 34%
Patient community sites 29%
Newspapers 29%
Note: among respondents who talked to their doctor about a condition
Source: Rodale Inc., "2012 Direct to Consumer Survey, Wave 15," July 18,
2012
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A list of the top online conditions searched for by US consumers
reflects the nation’s health concerns. Google reported that the
three leading health conditions searched for in 2012 were cancer,
diabetes and depression.According to Cancer Figures and
Facts, it is estimated that 1.6 million new cases of cancer were
diagnosed in the US in 2012.As for diabetes, the International
Diabetes Federation estimates there were 24.1 million diabetics
in the US in 2012, with another 6.7 million people thought to have
undiagnosed diabetes.
Top 10 US Health Condition Search Terms on Google,
Ranked by Search Volume, 2012
1. Cancer
2. Diabetes
3. Depression
4. Acne
5. Herpes
6. Back pain
7. Burns
8. Breast cancer
9. Autism
10. Diarrhea
Source: Google, Dec 11, 2012
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Google’s ranking of health-related search terms by health
symptoms yields slightly different results, with the most
common search in 2012 being symptoms of pregnancy,
followed by symptoms of diabetes and flu. Since women are
Where Health Consumers Are Going Online—And Why

the primary seekers of health information, it is not surprising
that pregnancy was the leading health symptom search term.
Top 10 US Health Symptom Search Terms on Google,
Ranked by Search Volume, 2012
1. Pregnancy symptoms
2. Diabetes symptoms
3. Flu symptoms
4. UTI symptoms
5. Mono symptoms
6. Strep throat symptoms
7. HIV symptoms
8. Lupus symptoms
9. Heart attack symptoms
10. Lyme disease symptoms
Source: Google, Dec 11, 2012
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The Role of Pharmaceutical Sites
Pharma product and disease-state websites play an important
role in the search for online health information and can
directly lead to patients asking for specific treatment options.
A June 2012 comScore report found that the primary reason
consumers used pharma-sponsored websites was to find
information about adverse effects or other information on specific
prescription drugs.Some consumers also went to branded drug
websites to get co-pay discount cards for their prescriptions.
The comScore data also showed a correlation between visits
to branded prescription drug websites and lifts in both brand
awareness and favorability. In fact, consumers who visited a
branded website showed an increase in aided and unaided
brand awareness.
Even though pharma-sponsored sites were being used for
information specific to medications and their side effects,
comScore also found that 23% of consumers were skeptical
of the information on these websites and 16% were skeptical
of information on government websites. comScore’s analysis
was that consumers are becoming more and more aware of a
treatment’s risk/benefit tradeoff.
Doctor Still Seems to Know Best
For all of the internet’s growth and its popularity as
a source of health information, it’s not the primary
source of health information upon which the majority
of consumers in the US make healthcare decisions.
Consumers still believe their physician to be the most important
source of healthcare information, according to Kantar Media data.
In a survey of US consumers between January and April 2012,
78% cited physicians as an important source of information, while
60% cited traditional media.The internet ranked well below, at
41%. Still, that was a 7-point increase from 2008.
% of respondents
Healthcare Information Sources that Are Important to
US Consumers, 2008-2012
2008
76%
64%
34%
2009
77%
65%
39%
2010
78%
64%
40%
2011
77%
65%
40%
2012
78%
60%
41%
Healthcare professionals Traditional media Internet
Note: among respondents who chose "very important" and "somewhat
important"
Source: Kantar Media, "How Do They Really Feel? Consumers' Behaviors
and Attitudes Toward Healthcare Advertising," June 11, 2012
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Similarly, RxAlly, a network of community pharmacies in the
US, found in September 2012 that the most trusted sources
of information for US internet users when making healthcare
decisions were doctors (72%). It’s worth noting that friends
and family scored well above the internet in this survey.
Where Health Consumers Are Going Online—And Why

% of respondents
Most Trusted Sources of Information When Making
Healthcare Decisions According to US Internet Users,
Sep 2012
Doctors 72%
Friends/family 36%
Spouses or significant others 36%
Internet 22%
Pharmacists 18%
Note: ages 18+
Source: RxAlly as cited in press release, Oct 9, 2012
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Even among those who look to the internet for health
information, there is a desire for an “official” source. Deloitte
reported in February 2012 that the web sites of physician
groups or medical practices were US internet users’ most
trusted sources for treatment information.That was followed by
academic medical and teaching hospitals that maintain health
information sites for consumers. Social sites and blogs, as well as
general health sites, scored far lower on trustworthiness.
% of respondents
Sources that US Internet Users Trust for Treatment
Information on a Health Condition, Feb 2012
Physician group/medical practice
Academic medical centers/teaching hospitals
Medical associations/societies
Community hospitals
Pharmacies
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Independent health-related websites
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
State Departments of Health and Human Services
Health insurance companies/health plans
Internet search engines/general reference sites
Pharmaceutical, biotech or medical device/product manufacturers
Employers (e.g., health benefits office, human resources office)
Blogs or websites that address specific health issues or connect
people with similar health conditions
Social networking sites
44%
38%
37%
30%
27%
26%
24%
22%
22%
14%
14%
12%
12%
11%
5%
Note: 8-10 on a 10-point scale where 10 is "completely trust"
Source: Deloitte, "2012 Survey of US Health Care Consumers: Five-Year
Look Back," Dec 14, 2012
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Conclusions
As the cost of doctor visits continues to increase,
the internet is becoming increasingly important for
seekers of health-related information. However,
healthcare professionals remain the principal source
of credible health information and treatment options.
eMarketer expects the use of digital media will play
a more significant role over time, as consumers
become more web savvy and older users take a more
active role in their healthcare.
Women are the primary users of online health
information. As the self-professed healthcare managers of
their families, moms are especially high users. Whether moms
or not, women tend to be more proactive when it comes to
researching healthcare online and spend more time than men
researching health on the internet.
Online seekers of health information tend to be better
educated. Because of the complexity and abundance of
health information online, consumers with some degree of
higher education search for health information online more
than those who have never been to college.
The primary reason that patients search for health
information online is to learn about specific health
conditions and treatment options. Patients want to
maximize their time with their doctor when discussing their
healthcare, and the internet has an important part to play
in that discussion. Patients, though, still trust physicians to
recommend what is best for them.
Health sites are the No. 1 destination for seekers of
health information online. However, pharma firms’ product
websites also play an important role in driving treatment
recommendations, and physicians’ sites are considered the
most credible.
Caregivers have special needs when it comes to online
health information. They want information on medical
insurance, how to live with chronic conditions, and topics like
balancing work and their responsibilities as caregivers.
Doctor Still Seems to Know Best

eMarketer Interviews
Mobile is the ‘Remote Control’ for Online
Health Information
Erin Byrne
Executive Vice President, Managing Partner and
Chief Engagement Officer
Grey Healthcare Group
Interview conducted on January 18, 2013
Mobile, Social Rejuvenate Online Health Searching
Kate Drummond
Media Partner
Greater Than One
Jan Dunlop
Manager of Marketing Services
Drugs.com
Paul Wager
Chief Operating Officer
Drugs.com
Related eMarketer Reports
The Mobile-Social Mom: Speeding the Trend Toward
‘Mobile First’
Related Links
AARP
American Academy of Family Physicians
BabyCenter
Cancer Figures and Facts
comScore Inc.
Deloitte
Employee Benefit Research Institute
Enspektos
Experian Hitwise
Family Caregiver Alliance
Google
Harris Interactive
HealthEd Academy
International Diabetes Foundation
Kantar Media
Loyola University Media Center
Manhattan Research
National Center for Health Statistics
Network of Libraries of Medicine
Pew Internet & American Life Project
Rodale Inc.
RxAlly
Smith & Jones
US Census Bureau
Wolters Kluwer Health
Editorial and
Production Contributors
Cliff Annicelli Senior Editor
Kaitlin Carlin Copy Editor
Joanne DiCamillo Senior Production Artist
Stephanie Gehrsitz Senior Production Artist
Dana Hill Director of Production
Nicole Perrin Associate Editorial Director
Allie Smith Director of Charts

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