Let me provide some concrete sources or studies:
- Pew Research Center: Their 2013 report, “Health Online,” found that 59% of U.S. adults looked for health information online, but many questioned the reliability of what they found. You can review this report for insights into patient online behaviors.
- Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS): HINTS regularly surveys patients about their information needs and confidence in finding reliable health information. A 2017 HINTS survey revealed that 33.4% of respondents were very confident in their ability to find helpful health information, while a larger percentage felt less sure about the quality of the information they found online.
- Studies on Patient-Provider Communication: Articles in Health Affairs and The Journal of Medical Internet Research discuss gaps in communication between providers and patients. For example, a 2016 study in BMC Health Services Research noted that 50-60% of patients reported they didn’t feel fully informed by their healthcare providers.
- Google Health Study (2021): A recent report from Google Health found that while 7 in 10 people searched for health information online, many still struggled to find trustworthy, comprehensive information.