The Top Verbs in E-Health Are???

Posted by Kathy Quan Jan 28, 2008

Do you use the Internet to research health care information? Are you sure it's accurate and up-to-date?

Health care consumers in the U.S. typically use the Internet to "research" and "locate" according to data from the National Research Corporation. These two word have become the top two verbs in E-health.

Consumers typically research prescription drugs, treatment options, medical procedures and diseases/wellness. They use the Internet to locate hospitals, clinics, medical labs etc. or to find a physician. or other practitioner.

Refilling prescriptions, completing online health risk assessments, asking advice of clinicians, and using online support groups are the most common online self-help activities for consumers. Consumers are less likely to participate in such activities as completing online medical records or emailing practitioners.

However, the most desired uses for the Internet in the future involve being able to refill prescriptions, finding lab test results, emailing practitioner's, scheduling appointments, and pre-registering for health care.

Some of the conditions which attract the most online health care researchers include cancer, headaches, insomnia, eating disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.

If you're researching health care issues you need to be smart about it. There's a lot of very valuable information available. You have to do your homework. SImilar to writing a research paper, you need to develop a bibliography. You need to discover the sources of the information and sponsors of the websites who may influence the information. And you need to know how timely it is.

I wrote an article about a recall of a children's medication on another website in 2005. To this date, people write me asking what to do about their current supply. I clearly dated the article and edited it to include the date in the first paragraph, but consumers don't always evaluate the information carefully.

Find out how you can be an effective health care consumer/researcher.