Seniors look for health advice on the web
09.01.2015 10:06
According to a BITKOM survey, 68 percent of seniors seek medical advice online. Women seem to find out more about health topics online than men. One in ten of those surveyed also said they contacted their doctor online.
Whether it's nutritional tips, advice on medication or information about illnesses - older people are increasingly using the Internet to find out about health topics. Two out of three Internet users aged 65 and over (68 percent) seek medical advice online. Even among users aged 80 and over it is still 57 percent. This is the result of a representative survey commissioned by the digital association BITKOM. In a similar survey four years ago, only 36 percent of older Internet users said they consult the Web for health issues. The information is based on a representative survey Bitkom Research carried out in collaboration with Forsa. In November 2014, 1,000 people aged 65 and over were surveyed.
According to BITKOM, the differences between the genders are striking: women (77 percent) get health tips on the Internet much more often than men (61 percent). Around one in ten older internet users (9 percent) also contact their doctors online.
The survey also showed that almost four in ten seniors (38 percent) are online. In 2013 it was just under one in three (32 percent). Around every second Internet user aged 65 and over (46 percent) declares that they no longer want to do without the Internet.
In this context, BITKOM provides tips for health research on the Internet:
What health portals do
There are numerous online portals where patients can get basic medical information. This includes, for example, general information on diagnostics, therapies and prevention. Not every website presents all the facts clearly, and the quality of the content of health portals also varies. That's why it's good to research several providers in parallel. The online offers cannot replace a visit to the doctor.
Respectability of the portals
Users should ensure that health portals are as independent as possible. Some websites are checked by independent experts and can show a corresponding seal of quality. These test marks include, for example, the HON seal from the “Health On the Net Foundation”, the logo of the nationwide “Health Information System Action Forum” (afgis) and the “Tested Homepage” certificate from the Health Foundation. The medinfo.de website also contains numerous information about the quality of health portals.
Special portals for certain diseases
While general portals often provide information about several hundred diseases, there are also specialized websites for specific diseases. For example, the German Heart Foundation provides information on the Internet about cardiovascular problems and the German Cancer Research Center about tumor diseases. The German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (dimdi.de) offers a lot of specialist medical information via free databases.
Forums and support groups
Patients can exchange ideas with each other in forums and online self-help groups – about treatments, doctors and clinics, for example. Valuable information can often be found. However, users should note that laypeople are writing for laypeople. The views expressed in forums and support groups often lead away from conventional medicine and do not replace professional advice.
Information about clinics
Anyone who needs to go to hospital for treatment can also find helpful tips on the Internet. People with statutory health insurance can use the portal www.weisse-liste.de Compare clinics from the Bertelsmann Foundation and pass on experiences from your doctor's visit to other insured people. The assessments of the clinics are based on quality reports from the Federal Joint Committee, an institution of health insurance companies and doctors. The joint initiative of private clinics provides a similar service www.qualitaetskliniken.de. Health insurance companies also sometimes have hospital comparison offers on their websites.
Online contact with doctors
There are online medical services through which patients can contact doctors directly to receive an initial assessment of a medical condition. Users should check beforehand whether the costs are manageable and read the terms and conditions carefully. As a rule, however, a visit to the doctor paid for by your health insurance company might make more sense than a paid online consultation.