USA: A majority of adults have looked for online health information and are accessing reviews and comments

[Pew] A majority of American adults look online for health information and most are accessing reviews and comments posted by fellow consumers.
According to a report released today by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation, 61% of adults look online for health information. Of those, 59% have done at least one of the following activities:

Read someone else's commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group, website, or blog
Consulted rankings or reviews online of doctors or other providers
Consulted rankings or reviews online of hospitals or other medical facilities
Signed up to receive updates about health or medical issues
Listened to a podcast about health or medical issues
In addition, 20% of internet users who have looked online for health information, or “e-patients,” have actively contributed comments, reviews, and updates. E-patients in this group have, for example:

Tagged or categorized online content about health or medical issues
Posted comments, queries, or information about health or medical matters in an online discussion, listserv, or other online group forum
Posted comments about health on a blog
Posted a review online of a doctor
Posted a review online of a hospital
Shared photos, videos or audio files online about health or medical issues
In sum, 60% of e-patients (37% of all adults) have done at least one of the above activities.

"We are beginning to see e-patients turning to interactive features both to help them find information tailored to their needs and to post their own contributions," says Susannah Fox, a co-author of the report, and associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. "They treat the internet as a supplement to traditional sources of information, using blogs, podcasts, and other online resources to deepen their understanding of a condition and sharpen their questions for a health professional."

The new Pew Internet/California HealthCare Foundation report, "The Social Life of Health Information," describes not only how American adults use the internet to gather and share health information, but also how the landscape has shifted in the last decade. In 2000, 46% of American adults had access to the internet, 5% of U.S. households had broadband connections, and 25% of American adults looked online for health information. Now, 75% of American adults go online, 57% of American households have broadband connections, and 61% of adults look online for health information. Further, many adults now have wireless access to the internet.

"Mobile access allows people to be 'always present' to each other and that seems to draw them into conversations about health," says Sydney Jones, a co-author of the report, and research assistant at the Pew Internet Project. "The early internet provided e-patients online tools that enabled research. Now the mobile, social internet enables connection and conversation."

Asked to assess the quality of their online health experiences, 60% of e-patients (42% of all adults) say they or someone they know has been helped by following medical advice or health information found on the internet. This represents a significant increase from a 2006 Pew report that found 31% of e-patients (25% of all adults) said that. Just 3% of e-patients say they or someone they know has been harmed by following medical advice or health information found on the internet, a number that has remained stable since 2006.

However, Americans’ longstanding practices of consulting a health professional, a trusted friend, or a wise family member persist as patients pursue good health. When asked which sources they turn to for assistance, the internet comes in third (tied with books) behind asking a health professional and talking with friends or family members.

61% of American adults look online for health information