A survey by Gomez Advisors found the plethora of health-related content online may be one of the biggest disadvantages. M.D., senior healthcare analyst at Gomez. This number continues to grow at an alarming rate, leaving consumers overwhelmed with the abundance of information out there and inundated with e-health options. The Gomez survey also found the top motivation driving consumers to access health information online is when a loved one was diagnosed with a medical condition, indicating the majority of health information seekers go online to help others. The findings also suggest the majority of these online consumers are most concerned with the credibility of health information on the Internet and the trustworthiness of a site.
Privacy is also an important factor during an online health consumer's site selection.
Sixty-one percent of consumers indicated they are hesitant to provide their health information over the Internet out of fear that others will gain unauthorized access. Our findings suggest that further educating consumers about privacy issues will alleviate some of these fears. The Gomez survey also found what consumers really want is for health sites to provide convenience and interactivity. Other site features important to consumers include the ability to obtain lab results online, and convenient tools that allow consumers to verify health insurance eligibility and track reimbursements. The consumers told Jupiter it was more convenient to pick up healthcare items when doing other shopping offline, and also expressed concerns about returns.