The nation looks to Dr Google
December 14, 2012
ALMOST half of the nation’s
population use the internet as a
means to get healthcare advice.
The statistic comes from the
International Bupa Health Pulse
Survey, which took into account
responses from 14,528 people
across 13 countries, including 1,204
Australians.
Looking at worldwide trends,
Australia ranked as one of the top
countries for “Dr Google” selfdiagnosis,
with 42% of Aussie
adults admitting to self diagnosis
via the internet, compared to other
top Googlers China (53%), New
Zealand (49%) and the USA (45%).
Meanwhile, it appears that
younger Australians are more likely
than their older counterparts to
trawl through the internet for
health advice, with 56% of Aussies
aged 18-34 admitting to using
online to self diagnose.
Worryingly, only 43% of Australians
who use the internet for health
advice said that they always check
the credibility of the source to
make sure it is reputable,
In addition, 29% of those who
admitted to being unhealthy,
confessed that they used the
internet for advice on managing a
long-term condition.
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