To retain a competitive edge in their regions, hospital executives need to ensure that "e-patients" are able to go to their Web portals to find information and education. For the past decade the Pew Internet/California Healthcare Foundation has tracked the internet trends of healthcare consumers, which are now referred to as e-patients. This report is very informative, including data about where e-patients are going for their information online and for what the type of information they are searching.
"We are beginning to see e-patients turning to interactive features both to help them find information tailored to their needs and to post their own contributions," says Susannah Fox, a co-author of the report, and associate director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. "They treat the internet as a supplement to traditional sources of information, using blogs, podcasts, and other online resources to deepen their understanding of a condition and sharpen their questions for a health professional."
The new Pew Internet/California HealthCare Foundation report, "The Social Life of Health Information," describes not only how American adults use the internet to gather and share health information, but also how the landscape has shifted in the last decade. In 2000, 46% of American adults had access to the internet, 5% of U.S. households had broadband connections, and 25% of American adults looked online for health information. Now, 75% of American adults go online, 57% of American households have broadband connections, and 61% of adults look online for health information. Further, many adults now have wireless access to the internet.
To get a copy of the report follow this link:
www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/8-The-Social-Life-of-Health-Information
