Do you think more about technology than your health?
If so, you’re not alone. Almost half of adults in the U.S. spend more time researching the latest gadget than their doctors.
Today, we released a study, in conjunction with Harris Interactive that shows that 42% of U.S. adults with a primary care physician spent more time researching the latest electronic gadget or gift for a friend than selecting their primary care doctor. And these numbers were even higher for respondents under age 55. Yet, these adults also say they wish they could find more comprehensive information about their doctors online.
The results also suggest that many people base their choice of doctor on the convenience of the doctor’s office location, as opposed to other important factors such as patient ratings, the doctor’s malpractice records or expertise.
Here are a few more highlights from the study:
- Two-thirds (67%) of adults wish they could find more comprehensive information about doctors online.
- Almost three-quarters (73%) of people under 35 agreed that they wanted to be able to find more comprehensive information about doctors online.
- More than half (51%) of adults agree it is hard to find information on a doctor.
- About seven in ten (71%) adults wish doctors would share information about their medical background and expertise online.
- Almost four in five (78%) of those adults aged 18 to 34 said they wish doctors would share more information online.
Researching consumer products online is fun and we will pore over tons of comparative data before making a decision. But have we lowered our standards for finding as much data on doctors because it’s simply too hard to find valuable information?
- Over two-fifths (42%) of adults agree they spent more time researching the latest electronic gadget than their primary care doctor.
- Half (50%) of adults under age 55 spent more time researching the latest gadget than their doctor.
- Almost one-half (49%) say they spent more time researching a gift for a family member or friend than researching their primary care doctor.
- Nearly three in five (59%) adults agree they rarely research a specialist who they were referred to by their primary care doctor. Men (64%) are more likely than women (55%) to agree
Are you someone who has worried about the implications of the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)? Do you wonder whether or not you’ll have to change your doctor? You actually won’t have to change doctors, but some adults think they might. In fact,
- Over two-fifths (42%) of adults agree they are worried that they will be required to change their doctor as a result of the new healthcare reform bill.
- Adults with a PCP who affiliate themselves with the GOP were significantly more likely (61%) than their Democrat (25%) or Independent (45%) counterparts to agree they worried about being required to change their doctor.
We know that when consumers have access to the right information on potential doctors, that they fully digest it to make an informed decision. Since launching our Doctor Finder tool last spring, “Health & Medical” has become the most trafficked category on our site with the average user clicking 12 page views for each visit to Doctor Finder. Our hope is that more consumers will realize that there is a place where they can find comprehensive information to help them make a fully informed decision about the right doctor to fit their needs.
Details about Insider Pages Doctor Finder can be found here: http://www.insiderpages.com/doctorfinder.
