A majority of U.S. healthcare consumers believe that online health information is not as good or as accurate as it could be and have trouble differentiating between credible and implausible information available online, a new study, funded by pharmaceutical interests, concludes.
According to a Manhattan Research report issued Tuesday, 65% of the 3,003 online consumers queried say the accuracy of health information available on the Internet needs to improve, while 55% question the accuracy of online pharmaceutical information.
Nearly equal portions of respondents agree with statements that the quality online of health and pharmaceutical data couple be better, the survey says.
However, only about one-quarter of consumers have issues with the readability of health and drug information presented to them over the Internet, even though two-thirds say they are more likely to switch to health-related sites that present content in an easily understood style.
The 20-question survey further reveals that 80% of consumers desire what Manhattan Research calls a "separation of church and state." In other words, they are more likely to trust health and medical content if it is presented with a "clear distinction" from sponsored advertisements.
Large majorities of respondents also say that review by a physician or other healthcare professional goes a long way toward convincing them that online health information is trustworthy and that timely updates are powerful motivators in a decision to switch online resources, according to the report.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. commissioned the study, which Manhattan Research conducted during the fourth quarter of 2002.