Doctors Consult the Internet Immediately After a Patient Consult Four Times per Week

by Jaime Brewster

Doctors consult Internet-based resources regarding a specific patient conditions immediately after a patient consult an average of 4.4 times per week, according to the Sources & Interactions Study, September 2014 – Medical/Surgical Edition. Three in four physicians use the Internet after a patient consult at least once per week.

Physicians are less likely to consult the Internet during a patient consult. 29% say they never consult the Internet during a consult. Of those that do, 16% said they do so at least once or twice weekly. On average, physicians say they consult the Internet during a patient consult an average of 2.8 times per week.

On the other hand, doctors do tend to consult the Internet before after a consult. Doctors say they consult the Internet immediately after a patient consult about 3.6 times per week on average. About 20% say they do so once/twice weekly while 30% say they do less often. Very few respondents (12%) never use Internet-based resources immediately before a patient consult.

The Sources & Interactions™ Study is a detailed examination of doctors’ online and mobile activities, e-detailing experience, and exposure to (and evaluation of) information sources including traditional and emerging media, pharma reps, CME, convention and more. The study is conducted every six months and targets more than 3,000 physicians annually across 22 specialties, exploring their media preferences and habits. Sources & Interactions was designed to help marketers and their agencies cost-effectively allocate resources to their overall promotional mix, and provide publishers with specific insight about where their offerings fit into physicians (and other healthcare professionals’) information inventory.

To find out more about the study and get access to specialty-specific data, contact us now. We study physician media behaviors and preferences annually across 22 specialties.