More Americans Search Online for Health Information

More Americans Search Online for Health Information

(ARA) - What's causing your heart to flutter? Having trouble catching your breath? Think you may be pregnant? From time to time, people experience medical situations, but the symptoms may not always be serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor, so where are people turning for information?

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, eight million Americans search online for information regarding at least one health topic every day. This places health searches at about the same level of popularity as paying bills online, reading blogs or using the Internet to look up a phone number or address.

But with so many resources out there, how does an average Internet surfer know he or she is getting good information? Instead of typing a query into a search engine, which the Pew study finds 66 percent of online searchers do, more savvy searchers go directly to sources they know and trust.

"Whether I'm looking for the latest research and treatment options available for a particular ailment, or just have a question about symptoms my kids have been experiencing or a medicine I've been prescribed, I've found that a good place to turn for information is www.MayoClinic.com," says Linda Buxa, a mother of three from Maryland. "I already knew the Mayo Clinic name and I felt I could trust their expertise in health care, so when I learned they have a consumer health Web site, I knew it would be a good source of information."

MayoClinic.com was launched by the well known medical institution in 1995 as a way to extend the expertise of its nearly 3,000 doctors and researchers to people who may never become patients at Mayo Clinic. Now 12 years later, the site has evolved into a resource that Nicole Spelhaug, MayoClinic.com's chief of product development, says almost 10 million people turn to for health information every month. "Most people come to MayoClinic.com for information about a specific condition and to learn more about their treatment options. But people who are healthy also find diet and lifestyle resources to help them stay healthy," says Spelhaug.

In addition to comprehensive coverage of more than 700 diseases and conditions, the site also provides resources for more than a dozen lifestyle areas for every stage of life from birth to the golden years. Interactive tools help users self-assess their knowledge of disease and their risk of developing a particular condition. Instructional videos demonstrate self-care techniques. And multimedia including video and podcasts connect visitors with Mayo Clinic medical experts. Users can also subscribe to a free weekly e-newsletter to receive notice of new and timely content featured on the site.

"Medical editors, who are practicing Mayo Clinic physicians, regularly review all the material on the site to make sure it is medically accurate. When people come to us they have come to a reliable source. Our primary purpose is to help people stay healthy," says Dr. Roger Harms, MayoClinic.com's medical editor-in-chief.

"The thing I like best about our site is how it empowers people to be significant participants in their care," says Dr. Philip Hagen, vice chair of the Division of Preventive and Occupational Medicine at Mayo Clinic, and a Web site medical editor since its inception.

"Whether it's learning the basics of a new diagnosis, discovering the possible cause of a symptom or simply looking up a healthy recipe to serve for dinner tonight, MayoClinic.com has what you need to manage your health," adds Spelhaug.

To check out the site for yourself, log on to www.MayoClinic.com. Access to all the information and tools on the site is free.

Courtesy of ARAcontent