A survey commissioned by Informing Healthcare, the Welsh healthcare IT programme, has revealed that almost two-thirds of people in Wales source health information online.
Informing Healthcare commissioned Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Survey Unit to research the preferred method for adults in Wales to source health information, with 1002 people participating in the telephone survey between March and May.
The survey revealed that 84% have access to a computer and 78% have internet access. Of those, 66 per cent said they source health information online, whilst 24% said that they did not have access to the internet but would ask someone else to access health information from the internet on their behalf.
Informing Healthcares’ research and evaluation manager, Daniel Warm, said: “This is commanding news for the Welsh Assembly Government and the Informing Healthcare Programme. The survey findings suggest that there is considerable demand within Wales for health information online.”
The survey showed that the most common type of health information accessed is that which helps to explain an illness or condition. A third of those with internet access said they use the internet to find information to improve their health and 26% use it to find information to help them to make choices regarding their healthcare.
Nineteen per cent said they used the internet to find information on other areas, such as drugs or prescriptions, pregnancy, childbirth and children’s health and health alerts, and 17% use the internet to source details of their local healthcare services.
Warm added: “It is clear that the majority of the Welsh population has access to the internet and that a growing proportion of adults are using websites to source information on all aspects of health.
“The survey found that the internet is the most preferred method for adults in Wales to source health information. With the majority of people now accessing the internet over a broadband connection, this online demand is predicted to increase further over the short to medium term.”
Only 12% said they went directly to an NHS website to source health information, compared to 81 per cent who used search engines, such as Google to search for the relevant information. Two percent said they were recommended a website by their GP.
The survey found that those that are most likely to go directly to a website are those who have a specific condition, such as diabetes, or those that care for someone else with such a condition.
Half of those surveyed said it was quite easy to obtain health information online. The most important criteria for selecting health information sources was that the information provided is easy to understand and accurate.
Warm added: “It is essential that Designed for Life – the ten year strategy for health and social care – fosters initiatives that complement peoples’ chosen method for participating in the creation of a healthier nation.”