61% of US patients look for health information online

Online health research showed that 61percent of US adults turned to the Internet for health information. Nearly one-half of consumers went online for information on a specific disease or problem, 41% searched for information on a specific medical procedure, 35% were looking for a doctor and 33% needed information on prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Besides, the least common searches were for mental health issues, experimental treatments or travel-related health information.

According to “The Social Life of Health Information Report” from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation, almost two-thirds of women researched health issues online in comparison with 57% of men.

Additionally, 65% of whites, 51% of African-Americans and 44% of Hispanics looked for health information. Online health research rose with education and income, and the younger Internet users were, the more likely they were to search.

However, the vast majority of people with a health question or concern say they consult a health professional (86%) or a friend or family member (68%), according to Pew researchers` report.