This document summarizes several studies on health information seeking online: 1) A 2002 study found 80% of online adults look for health information online, amounting to 110 million people. Most (53%) use search engines to find information across sites. 2) A 2006 study found 80% of online Americans search for health information daily, with 66% starting on search engines like Google. Many feel more confident in decisions after searching. 3) A 2005-2007 Europe-wide study found internet health users increased from 44% to 54%. The growth occurred across all countries. The internet will be important for future healthcare.

1. Health Related CMC Background

2. The Harris Poll: Cyberchondriacs Update 2002 Method: Conducted by telephone within the US (March 13-19, 2002) among a nationwide cross section of 707 adults who are online, a sub-sample of 1,017 adults. Finding: 80% of all adults who are online sometimes use the Internet to look for health care information. 80% of all those online amounts to 110 million cyberchondriacs nationwide. (1998: 54 million; 1999: 69 million; 2001: 97 million). 53% of those who look for health care information does so using a portal or search engine which allows them to search for the health information they want across many different websites.

3. 26% go directly to a site that focuses only on health-related topics; 12% goes first to a general site that focuses on many topics that may have a section on health issues. Cyberchondriacs tend to be younger and they are better educated and more affluent than the general population. Conclusion: E-health (the use of the Internet related to health and health care) continues to grow. Numbers of the public interested in getting information about particular diseases or treatments or about staying healthy. The results also demonstrate the critical importance to health care websites of the need to be quickly and easily accessible through search engines and portals. Most use a portal or search engine rather than by going directly to particular sites.

4. Pew Internet & American Life Project: Online Health Search in 2006 Method: Telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates (August 1-31, 2006), among a sample of 2,928 adults, aged 18 and older in the United States. Finding: 80 % of American internet users (113 million adults), have searched for information on health each day. 66% begin their research on a search engine (Yahoo, Google) 53% of health seekers report that their most recent health information session [influenced] how they take care of themselves or someone else.

5. 56% say the information they find online has boosted their confidence in their healthcare decision-making abilities. Only 15% (85 million): “always check” the source and date of the information they find online. Conclusion: About 85 million Americans gathering health advice online without consistently examining the quality indicators of the information they find. Most health seekers are pleased about what they find online, but some are frustrated or confused. Most internet users start at a search engine when looking for health information online. Very few check the source and date of the information they find.

6. WHO/European survey on E-health Consumer Trends: E-health Trends across Europe 2005-2007 Methods: A representative sample of seven European countries was interviewed by telephone. Two surveys were conducted with 18 months interval. The first survey was conducted in 2005, the second in 2007. A total of 7,934 interviews were conducted in 2005, and 7,022 interviews in 2007. Finding: The number of Internet health users increased from 44 % in 2005 to 54 % in 2007. The growth in the use of Internet for health purposes is found in all seven countries participating in the survey.

7. Conclusion: The use of the Internet for health purposes is increasing in Europe. The Internet should be considered an important tool for policy makers shaping the future health care service. It will be crucial to consider carefully how to exploit the media, in order not to consolidate or create new inequalities in health in Europe. There is a need for further studies in this field, focusing on which kind of health services that might be provided through the Internet, and the characteristics of target group that could benefit the most of Internet-based health services.

8. Envision Solutions: Diving Deeper Into Online Health Search Method: Analyze online search habits is based on data provided by Hitwise. Envision Solutions conducted sixteen queries on Yahoo and Google (eight on each search engine) using the search terms it selected on December 7, 2006. Finding/Conclusion: Americans looking for online health content are exposed to a significant amount of user-generated media (UGM). Wikipedia was the most frequently cited resource. People are relying on government, corporate and non-profit produced Websites for health information. In certain cases, blogs and wikis are receiving significant traffic.