"Cyberchondriac" survey shows drug info hunters

A survey by Harris Interactive, the global market research and polling organization, has found that the number of what it calls "cyberchondriacs," adults who search for data about diseases and therapies on-line, has leapt to 160 million in 2007, 84% of the adult population that has Internet access. Last year, Harris found that 136 million people had searched on-line for medical conditions and treatments, including prescription drugs (Marketletter August 7, 2006).

Rick Kellerman, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, told Computerworld magazine that "the downside is you have to be careful of the web sites you go to." He added that, although patients becoming more proactive was generally beneficial, this can complicate the patient/physician relationship.

Harris also found that 66% of US Internet users search for health-related information on-line either sometimes or often. Almost half, 42%, did not discuss the results of their inquiries with doctors. A separate poll by Forrester Research found that 27% of respondents use the Internet to evaluate doctors or hospitals. A new survey by Prospectiv claims that 75% of US consumers trust the Internet most for prescription drug information, well ahead of broadcast media (15%) and magazines (10%).