"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.