Chiropractic on the Internet: The Next Generation

Think a hands-on form of health care like chiropractic has no future on the internet? Think again.

A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation¹ randomly surveyed 1,209 young people between the ages of 15 and 24. What they found is an indication of what we can expect from consumer and patient interaction in the years to come:

1. Today's young people have access to and use the internet:


• 90% have gone on line;


• 74% have internet access in their home;


• 31% have internet access in their bedroom;


• 49% go on line at least once a day; and


• 87% go on line at least once a week.


2. Today's young people often seek information about their health:


• 24% get "a lot" of health information on line; 24% more get "some"; another 20% get "a little";


• 75% use the internet to "look up health information," which is more than the percentage of young people who down load music; play games; participate in chat rooms; make purchases; or check sports scores; and


• 39% of health seekers access health information at least once a month; 94% at least a few times a year.


3. The information found by today's youth affects what they do:


• 94% consider the information they find "somewhat" or "very" useful;


• 57% trust the information they find "somewhat" or "a lot";


• 69% talk to friends about the health information they find on line;


• 39% changed their behavior because of the information they found;


• 14% visited a doctor because of the information they found on line; and
  
• 77% believe it is "very important" to be able to ask questions when seeking health information.

So, what does this mean to you?

For this generation of health care consumers, the web has effectively replaced:

• the daily newspaper;


• the evening television news;


• the phone book; and


• advice from nonpeers.

The survey found that 76% liked using the internet to look up health information "because I can look it up without anybody knowing it."

Doctors who wish to serve this next generation of potential patients will need to:

 

1. make themselves available on their own website that introduces the doctor, the staff, and their services;

2. provide a significant amount of information on their website, specifically about what they offer and what chiropractic can do;

3. be willing to answer questions via e-mail or on their own website Q & A bulletin board to educate the potential young patient and demonstrate their knowledge; and;

    

4. not be frustrated or intimidated when young people want to find out what you know before they place their health in your hands.

Make no mistake: The playing field has never been more level for us than it is in the minds of these young people. Chiropractic and other forms of alternative care can now compete nose-to-nose against all forms of health care with information, expertise and effectiveness determining the ultimate choice.

We have a chance to move from "last resort" to "first choice" if we're willing to adapt to the demands of the information age. If we're not, we can always hope for a referral from the medical community.

Reference

 

1. How Young People Use the Internet for Health Information. Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Generation Rx.com, December 2001.

Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD (hc), FICC(h)
Editor / Publisher of Dynamic Chiropractic
don@mpamedia.com