A Study on Health Information and Medical Consulting via Internet Focusing on the Age Group of 20s

Abstract

High Internet usage and the public's keen interest on health have influenced the health care system, and a potential value of the online health information and medical consultation market is immense. This study reveals results from data collected from Seoul residents in the age group of 20s in 2011. Out of 499 respondents, 75.2% answered that they used online health information; however, only 7.2% answered that they have used online medical consultation services. Findings on the purposes of using online medical consultation included treatments of symptoms(33.6%) and self-disciplines of one's health(19.5%). Mostly used Websites for health information search included search engines and blogs, but respondents preferred to use government sites and hospital sites in the future. When choosing a medical consultation, respondents preferred a certain website for different reasons including creditability of the consultant(23.7%), creditability of the organization(23.7%), rapid responses(21.2%), and more. Overall, although health information search via web is being highly utilized among people in their 20s, utilization of online medical consulting is not. Thus, promotion efforts to increase awareness and utilization of online medical consulting based on the site selection criteria, type of personal information disclosure, and other preferences are essential. Also, creating websites meeting these criteria is important.