A recent survey from the respected PwC Health Research Institute shatters the myth that patients may hesitate about searching and sharing health information over the Internet due to privacy concerns and doubts over the accuracy of online media. Experts engaged in doctor and dentist marketing activities can take heart from the findings of the report that reveal a growing trend among patients to rely on the Internet to search and share health related information.

More than a third of American Internet users are accessing social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to look for health information, discussing their symptoms, offering opinions about doctors and dentists, and reviewing new drugs, treatments and health plans. The confidence of potential patients in such online information is on the rise, as per the PwC report, particularly when the information is received through contacts over social networks.

Doctor marketing experts ought to sit up and take notice of the facts and data revealed in the survey report. Almost 90 percent of the respondents in the age group of 18 to 24 said that they would trust healthcare information shared by people on social networks. People in this age group are also more comfortable with sharing their own private medical information over the Internet. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed in this age group said that they would have no hesitation in sharing such information online.

One of the most crucial findings from the survey, from the perspective of doctor and dentist marketing experts is that 41 percent of those searching for medical information over the social media networks are using it to make decisions about which hospitals or doctors to approach for consultation or treatment. 34 percent of those surveyed also said that the information or advice they receive over the social media networks influences their decision regarding the use of specific medication.