E-Patients, the growing group of individuals using the internet to find health info, are the fire in the belly of the e-Health movement. They are online, they are collaborative, and they are tired of the one-way communication that happens in the doctor’s office.
According to a video shown at Reshape09, a Health 2.0 conference held this month in the Netherlands:
- 84% of individuals do a Google search before visiting the doctor.
- Patients only remember about 50 to 60% of what’s been said during a ten minute doctor consultation.
- 76% of individuals trust their family’s and friends’ advice more than ads and articles.
It’s clear from statistics like these that there is an enormous push of e-patients “taking back” what is rightfully theirs – personal health information. But who’s catering to this ever-expanding group?
