Do People who Look Up Health Information on the Internet Visit Medical Professionals Less or More? (Part 2)

Read Part 1 here.

In part 2 of our series, I examine the validity of the Internet as a tool in the provision of healthcare. Particularly, I’m looking to assess respondents’ understanding of the information they found online as well as their perception of the quality of the information they found online.

Let’s begin by taking a look at the following figures.

FIG 1

In FIG 1 above, 92 percent of respondents stated they had at least a good understanding of the information they found online.

Although not surprising, this figure struck me – in my interviews with patients, many stated that at one point or another, they left their doctors office or were discharged from a hospital confused and unsure as to the steps they should take next. However, in this study, most were sure of their understanding of the health information they found online.

 FIG 2

In FIG 2, 62 percent of respondents found online health information very or extremely accurate.

This figure was surprising – most people were able to weed through irrelevant or inaccurate information and get to factual data. This figure tells me that healthcare consumers today are smart and savvy. They know which information to ignore and which information to bring to their doctors attention.

FIG 3

In FIG 3, 96.4 percent of respondents stated that they would go online again to research health information. WOW! If I was a healthcare provider, and I wanted to get the word, any word, out in public quickly and cheaply, the cloud is the place to do this.

I conducted additional qualitative interviews with several people. The interviewees ranged from mothers and fathers of small children, to mid-level providers and MDs to single, young people. All answers led to the same conclusion; everyone wanted to actively participate in their own healthcare or the healthcare of their loved ones.

Based on these results, can we say that the Internet is a valid tool in the provision of healthcare? The answer is a resounding yes. In Part 1, we saw that respondents have already decided whether or not they are going to make an appointment with their doctor prior to going online. Knowing this, we determined that people go online to gather information in preparation for their upcoming appointments. This helps to make patients active participants in their own health care. Further adding to the legitimacy of the Internet as a tool in the provision of healthcare is the cost-effective reach of the Internet and its ease of use.

The Internet is the world’s biggest meeting space. It serves as a virtual bazaar for the exchange of goods and information, as well as the largest store of information and knowledge. Its highly unregulated nature makes it susceptible to the dissemination of misleading or incorrect information.  However, when leveraged properly, the Internet is a powerful tool that can provide good information to a lot of people, for very little cost.

As a matter of fact, many healthcare networks have already begun disseminating information and storing data in the cloud (see the CDC’s Weekly Influenza Summary Update here). Smart healthcare providers have begun tailoring it for patients use (I just downloaded the iPhone App “MyChart,” which allows me to view my son’s medical records at Rochester General Health System).

We began this series discussing the usefulness of surveys in the initial stages of project conception. Whether launching a new beauty product or designing a patient health care information portal, a survey is a great place to start.