---
title: "Researching (and Reviewing) Doctors Online"
description: "An ABCNews.com story quotes Pew Internet's research about how many people look online for information about doctors and hospitals."
date: "2009-03-05"
authors:
  - name: "Susannah Fox"
    job_title: "Former Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/susannah-fox/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2009/03/05/researching-and-reviewing-doctors-online/"
categories:
  - "Health Care"
  - "Online Search"
---

# Researching (and Reviewing) Doctors Online

Radha Chitale's story, ["Docs Say Keep Mum but Some Patients Want to Tell All"](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/Story?id=7008953&page=1) on ABCNews.com cites our data to show how many people look online for information about doctors and hospitals:

74% of adults in the U.S. go online and, of those, 80% look for health information online. 29% of internet users have looked online for information about a particular doctor or hospital. (See: [The Engaged E-patient Population](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2008/The-Engaged-Epatient-Population.aspx) and [Online Health Search 2006](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2006/Online-Health-Search-2006.aspx)). We will have an update on those numbers this spring.

Chitale also quotes [e-Patient Dave](http://patientdave.blogspot.com/) deBronkart who started a [conversation](http://e-patients.net/archives/2009/03/ratemdscom-medical-justices-approach-is-repulsive.html) about RateMDs.com and Medical Justice on e-patients.net.

It is a fairly common practice to search for information about someone else — half of internet users have done so, including 11% who searched for someone they are thinking about hiring (see our report, [Digital Footprints](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/Reports/2007/Digital-Footprints.aspx)). But is there a limit to how people should use search engines and rating sites? Some doctors are suggesting that yes, there is, and it starts with them.