Half of Europeans using the Internet for health information are interested in online patient education programs from pharmaceutical companies, although just a small fraction are currently using these types of programs, according to Manhattan Research's Cybercitizen Health® Europe v10.0 research. The survey explored the digital media and online health behaviors of 3,000 online adults in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
This strong demand in online patient education programs represents an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies, especially given the strong limits on direct consumer advertising. Additionally, the population of consumers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom using the Internet for pharmaceutical information has increased considerably in recent years, growing from 54.7 million consumers in 2008 to 75 million consumers in 2010.
Highlights from the Study:
- 89% of online European adults (154 million) use the Internet for health info in 2010.
- 44% of online European adults use the Internet for pharmaceutical information.
- Wikipedia is either the #1 or #2 website used for health information in the UK, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany.
- Half of Europeans using the Internet for health information are interested in online patient education programs from pharmaceutical companies.
Key Questions Answered in Cybercitizen Health® Europe v10.0:
Mobile Device Adoption
- Which kinds of mobile devices do consumers own and plan to purchase (including iPad, iPod Touch and various smartphone brands)?
- How strong is adoption of apps on mobile devices vs. browser use, and which genres of apps garner the highest adoption?
- Which barriers are limiting more advanced use of mobile device features?
- How fast is use of mobile devices for health growing?
- How interested are consumers in using pharma-sponsored mobile health apps?
Health Information Seeking Behavior
- How strong is demand for prescription drug information online?
- How localized is health information seeking behavior (U.S. vs. national)?
- To what extent do consumers use U.S. based prescription drug websites?
- How strong is adoption of pharma-sponsored condition websites?
- What are consumer behaviors when selecting health-related search engine results?
- To what degree does trust vs. relevance drive search engine result choices?
Social Media
- To what degree do consumers alter their treatment decisions as a result of health related social media?
- What need is health social media filling for European consumers?
E-Empowered European Consumers
- What evidence is there that online health resources are impacting European consumers' health decisions or actions?
- To what degree do European consumers believe online health resources are improving?
About Cybercitizen Health® Europe v10.0
Cybercitizen Health® Europe v10.0 was fielded online in Q3 2010 among 3,000 adults (age 18+) in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
For more information, please visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/ccheu.
About Manhattan Research
Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources, Inc. company, is a global pharmaceutical and healthcare market research and strategic advisory firm and conducts annual research studies covering eHealth trends among healthcare professionals and consumers. For more information, please visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com.
About Decision Resources, Inc.
Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at http://www.decisionresources.com.