comScore Survey: 50% of Health-Info Seekers Use Social Media to Find Health Information
by Jennifer Haug, Associate Editor, DTC Perspectives

To educate the FDA about how consumers use the Internet to help manage their healthcare, John Mangano of comScore shared some data with the panel during last week's hearings. He explained that an average of 91 million Americans use the Internet each month, visiting a total of 1,700 health sites (including general content Web sites, disease state Web sites, drug Web sites, and government Web sites).

The Internet plays a supporting role for consumers, Mangano stated, with 78% of condition sufferers using the Internet to learn more information to help manage their condition. Most consumers looking up disease information will begin with a general content site or disease site. Consumers do not begin visiting pharmaceutical Web sites until they have completed information about a disease and want some additional information, such as treatment options.

According to data from the first quarter of 2009, most of the 107 million online health users visited general content sites. 18 million visited both general content and pharma sites, but just two million who visit a pharma site only. Mangano explained that those visiting pharma sites are often existing patients on that medication or a different medication researching alternatives. However, those visits to content sites tend to be much more engaged; therefore people visit more frequently and spend more time there.

In addition to immediacy, accessibility and anonymity, consumers use the Internet to educate themselves before speaking with their physician to have “the most fruitful discussion,” Mangano said. Even after receiving a prescription, consumers will also use the Internet to answer any additional questions they may have or forgot to ask the doctor about. Consumers actually prefer to visit a brand.com for specific information about a drug or its side effects (see related chart, Preferred Source for Type of Health Information ).

• “Pharma sites educate sufferers about treatments and side effects, but when you are looking at learning about a condition, it really is something that the content sites are really sought after for,” explained Mangano. “ Pharma visitations drive people to physicians and also support the physicians, both before the visit as well as after , once there is a prescription.”

In terms of social media, more than 50% of comScore surveyed panelists said that they use social media to obtain health information. Nearly half, 46%, felt that the information found there helped them. However, only 36% said they thought the information was truthful and credible. Mangano concluded that while “people see it as valuable, they also see that it's social media. It's not the same as going to a WebMD or a brand.com by a drug company.”

Often, the consumers used social media for support from a community. Those seeking social media content for healthcare are most likely the ones seeking a treatment. Surprisingly, 90% of respondents said the content drove them or made them more likely to speak to their doctor; this makes social media a “very important driver of action.”

For the full presentation from comScore's John Mangano, please click here

 

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