For one-third of U.S.

adults, the internet is a diagnostic tool

As of September 2012, 81% of U.S. adults use the internet and, of those,
72% say they have looked
online for health information in the past year. Since online personal
diagnosis is a scenario that has intrigued observers for years – and caused
some
anxiety about people’s ability to navigate the online information landscape
– the Pew Research Center’s
Internet & American Life Project explored it in some depth in its most recent
health survey. Of those
who have looked online for health information, 59% say they have ever
gone online specifically to try to
figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have. That
translates to 35% of U.S.
adults. Women are more likely than men to go online to figure out a
possible diagnosis. Other groups that have
a high likelihood of doing so include younger people, white adults, those in
the highest income bracket,
and those with more education. The following analysis is based on
questions asked only of that 35% of the population who answered
that they have gone online to figure out what they or someone else might
have. We will refer to them as
“online diagnosers.” First, online diagnosers were asked if the information
they found online led them to think that this was a
condition that needed the attention of a doctor or other medical
professional, or that it was perhaps
something they could take care of at home:
 46% of online diagnosers say that the condition needed the attention of a
doctor;
 38% say it could be taken care of at home; and
 11% said it was either both or in-between. Fifty-three percent of online
diagnosers say they talked with a medical professional about what they
found online, 46% did not (see table below for details). Separately, we
asked if a medical professional confirmed what they thought the condition
was and
found that:
 41% of online diagnosers say yes, a medical professional confirmed their
suspicions. An
additional 2% say a medical professional partially confirmed them.
 35% say they did not visit a clinician to get a professional opinion.
 18% say a medical professional either did not agree or offered a different
opinion about the
condition.
 1% say their conversation with a clinician was inconclusive – the
professional was unable to
diagnose what they had.