Thirty
-
five percent of U.S. adults say
that at one time or another
they have gone online specifically to try
to figure out what medical condition
they
or someone else might have.
These findings come from a national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Int
ernet & American Life
Project. Throughout this report, we call those who searched for answers on the internet “online
diagnosers.”
When asked if the information found online led them to think they needed the attention of a medical
professional,
46%
of on
line diagnosers say that was the case.
Thirty
-
eight percent of online diagnosers
say it was something they could take care of at home
and 11% say it was both or in
-
between.
When we asked respondents about the accuracy of their initial diagnosis, they repo
rted:
41% of online diagnosers
say a medical
professional
confirmed their
diagnosis
. An additional 2%
say a medical professional partially confirmed
it
.
35% say they did not visit a clinician to get a professional opinion.
18% say
they
consulted
a
medical
professional
and the
clinician
either did not agree or offered a
different opinion about the condition.
1% say their conversation with a clinician was inconclusiv