Fred Harteis Editors Note: This is a great article for anyone who searches for Health Information on line. I find the Health information sites very helpful. Anyone with an interest in the internet and internet searching might benefit from this article.
A new study of attitudes concerning healthcare information finds that consumers view the Internet as the most trusted media source.
That's right. Not television, not magazines, not newspapers, not radio — consumers trust the health information they find online over any other media.
A new study conducted by Nielsen//NetRatings, and sponsored by the Medical Broadcasting Company, found that second to only their personal physicians, consumers trust the Internet when it comes to health information.
In a survey, 42% of respondents said they trusted health information they found on the Internet, compared to just 16% for information found in "offline" media, including TV, newspapers, radio and magazines. Consumers are also taking advantage of the depth of health information on the Internet. More than 85% said they look at two or more Web sites when searching for health information.
"In increasing numbers, patients and consumers are using the Internet, searching multiple websites to find and consume the most reliable information," said Linda Holliday, president of MBC.
Ms. Holliday questioned marketer's media spending allocations, given Internet usage. "We're surprised that spending on Internet marketing still lags so far behind actual use," she said. "The Internet is an undeniable solution for pharmaceutical marketers."
Nearly one-third of respondents said they use the Internet to visit pharmaceutical company Web sites for information about prescription products. But that is not where most consumers go for online healthcare information. In fact, recent data from BURST! Media listed them last among the sites usually visited for healthcare information.
In addition, over 65% of the respondents in the Nielsen//NetRatings survey said that they use the Internet to research important health topics before and after they visit a doctor.
Source: emarketer.com
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