Cyberchondriacs Becoming Empowered Health Information Seekers

Harris Interactive just released the results of its most recent health-related Harris Poll, which tracks the number of US adults who have gone online to look for health information. Harris calls this population “cyberchondriacs.”

The survey found that the number of cyberchondriacs jumped from 154 million in 2009 to 175 million this year. This represents 88% of the US online population, the highest percentage and the largest year-over-year increase since Harris began tracking this data.

The research also revealed that the frequency with which online health info seekers use the web has increased, and satisfaction levels are rising. Some 32% of online adults said they look for health information “often,” compared with just 22% last year. Only 9% said they were unsuccessful in finding what they wanted and even fewer (8%) said the information they found wasn’t reliable.

Harris attributes the significant jump in online health info seekers to possible increased interest in the highly publicized healthcare reform debate. But the upward trend is also indicative of the growing number of more self-reliant, participatory consumers—and more marketers using online channels to reach them in new ways.

eMarketer’s recent report about online health seekers discusses this shift toward empowerment, users’ search habits, the internet’s growing role in the healthcare continuum and new online resources that enable patients to more participate more fully in their care and that of their loved ones.

For a current overview of the online health-seeking landscape and discussion of emerging digital trends that are helping consumers take charge of their health, see the eMarketer report, “Online Healthcare Empowers Consumers.”