Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18930

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

99 Million E-Empowered Consumers are Using Online Information and Tools to Take a More Active Role in Their Healthcare
PharmaLive 2010 Nov 9
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=742752

Full text:

As consumer use of online information has skyrocketed over the past decade, many have felt that the availability of this information changed the balance of power in the patient-physician relationship by enabling the consumer to take a more active and informed role in their healthcare decision making. In this year’s tenth edition of the Cybercitizen Health® U.S. study, pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research sought to quantify the impact the Internet was having on how consumers manage their health by identifying a population of “E-Empowered Consumers.”

E-Empowered Consumers have done one of the following activities as a result of the information or tools they found online: challenged their doctor’s treatment or diagnosis; asked their doctor to change their treatment; used the Internet instead of going to the doctor; or made a healthcare decision because of online information. In 2010, 99 million U.S. adults were E-Empowered Consumers.

“We’ve known for years that the Internet was empowering consumers to play a more active role in their healthcare, but this study quantifies how that is happening – both in and out of the physician’s office,” said Meredith Ressi, VP of Research at Manhattan Research. “Ten years ago when we first conducted this study, medicine was primarily physician-centric, with the doctor acting as the primary health information source used by most consumers. When consumers do go to the doctor, they are able to have more informed conversations about their care, thanks to the availability of online information.”

Manhattan Research also found that the patient groups most likely to be e-empowered were consumers with mental health or pain-related conditions. “This is not surprising given how difficult diagnosis and treatment can be for patients with these conditions,” Ressi says. “In the absence of clear diagnostic measures for these conditions, it is often up to consumers to advocate for themselves to get the help they need.”

Register for the Cybercitizen Health® U.S. v10.0 Webinar – November 16 at 11am EST

Ressi will review the Cybercitizen Health® U.S. v10.0 market research and strategic advisory service and key topics covered in the study during a complimentary webinar on Tuesday, November 16 at 11am EST.