The number of people who go online to search for health information is growing, according to a new poll by Harris Interactive, Reuters reports (Reuters, 7/31).
Harris calls this group "cyberchondriacs," which refers to people who usually go online to learn about physician conditions and symptoms and then go to their family doctors with information about possible treatments, Regina Corso, director of the Harris poll, said. She said that the term is not meant to be negative (Weiss, Computerworld, 7/31).
"Cyberchondriacs now represent 84% of all online adults, up from last year's 80%, and 72% in 2005," Harris said in a statement (Reuters, 7/31).
The poll of 1,010 adults, conducted between July 10 and July 17, found that cyberchondriacs go online for health information about 5.7 times per month, Computerworld reports. Of the 225 million adults in the U.S., an estimated 160 million have searched for health information online, up 37% from 2005.
Rick Kellerman, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said that more people searching the Internet for health information means that consumers are getting more involved in their care because of online resources. However, "the downside is you have to be careful of the Web sites you go to," he said. He added that office visits can become complicated by patients who bring in a lot of online information, so it's best for patients to work with a family physician with whom they have an established relationship (Computerworld, 7/31).