While most Americans still turn to a doctor or another health professional when confronted with a medical issue, an increasing number are turning to their computers. Fully 61% of Americans use the internet when in need of health information. At the beginning of the decade, only 25% of American used the internet as a source for medical issues. As with internet penetration, affluent, well educated and young Americans are the most likely to be “e-patients.” And as the internet evolves, so too does online medical information. A majority of e-patients have used or participated in some form of user-generated material, such as reading a health-related blog or consulting online rankings and reviews of doctors. Read More
Russell Heimlich is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.
