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The 2024 U.S. Healthcare Consumer: How the Internet and Social Media Are Affecting Patient Choices

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    Report

  • April 2024
  • Region: United States
  • Emarketer
  • ID: 5981962

Consumers are using the internet and social media to a great extent for healthcare purposes. This report covers what healthcare and pharma marketers need to know about how online-acquired information influences patient action.

A December 2023 survey of 1,391 US consumers reveals how they’re using digital channels for healthcare research and discovery and how online-acquired information - and misinformation - influences patient action.

Key Question: How is information acquired online affecting consumers’ healthcare decisions?

Key Stat: More than half (54%) of US consumers have self-diagnosed a medical condition based on information obtained online. Search engines and medical information websites are most commonly used to arrive at those self-diagnoses.

Key Report Features:

  • 4 Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.
  • 9 Charts: Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

Table of Contents

  • Executive Summary
  • Today’s healthcare consumers are eager to obtain medical information online
  • Online-acquired information influences consumers’ healthcare decisions
  • What are the implications for healthcare and pharma brands and marketers?
  • Methodology
  • Sources
  • Media Gallery

Charts

  • Online Sources Used by US Consumers to Self-Diagnose a Condition, Dec 2023 (% of respondents)
  • Types of Health-Related Research US Consumers Conduct Online, Dec 2023 (% of respondents)
  • US Consumers Who Use Social Media and AI to Begin Their Online Research for Medical Information, by Generation, Dec 2023 (% of respondents per group)
  • US Consumers Who Compare Prices for Medications, Medical Services, or Health Insurance Plans, by Generation, Dec 2023 (% of respondents)
  • Digital Channels Where US Consumers See/Hear Healthcare Ads*, Dec 2023 (% of respondents)
  • Healthcare Services, Medications, or Treatments That US Consumers Have Purchased Online* in the Past Year, Dec 2023 (% of respondents)
  • How Often US Consumers' Online Self-Diagnoses Are Proven Correct (% of US consumers who have self-diagnosed a medical condition, Dec 2023)
  • US Social Media Users Who Engage With or Follow Health Influencers on Social Media, by Generation, Dec 2023 (% of respondents)
  • Likelihood of Patients Getting Faulty Medical Information From GenAI, According to US Physicians, Aug 2023 (% of respondents)