A recent study found out that the internet is the first stop for many sick people. Why not poke around a bit before we head to the doctor’s office? The Pew study found that 35 percent of U.S. adults say they’ve used the internet to diagnose themselves or someone else, with about half of those people taking a follow-up trip to the doctor’s office. 59 percent of U.S. adults have looked online for health information in the past year, yet only 2 percent of all those surveyed paid for the help they sought online. The internet is revolutionizing how we do many things, and the medical field is no exception. With sites like ZocDoc letting you find and schedule doctors’ appointments from the comfort of your own home, to companies like HealthSpot offering remote check-ups and diagnoses by doctors around the world, medical information – both amateur and professional – has never been more accessible to us than it is today, and that’s a great thing.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.