95M mobile phone users using phones for health info
The number of U.S. mobile phone owners using their phones for health information or tools jumped to 95 million in 2013, up 27 percent from 75 million users one year ago, according to a Manhattan Research’s Cybercitizen Health U.S. 2013 study.
“Smartphones have become, for many, an indispensable source of healthcare information—38 percent of online smartphone users agree that the device is ‘essential’ for finding health and medical [information],” the research firm said of its findings, which were based on an online survey of 8,605 adults.
The report also found that mobile health adoption, activities and attitudes fluctuate widely among patient audiences tracked, underscoring the need for marketers to better understand mobile behavior. However, patient audiences most likely to be mobile health users are: cystic fibrosis patients; growth hormone deficiency patients; acne patients; ADD/ADHD patients; hepatitis C patients; migraine patients; Crohn's disease patients; chronic kidney disease patients; generalized anxiety disorder patients; and bipolar disorder patients, according to the report.
“Many marketers will need to reset assumptions around when, where and how these devices are used for health. What’s clear is that patients are using these devices throughout the patient journey, for quick questions and deep research, and increasingly to actually manage their condition and care,” said Monique Levy, vice president of research, Manhattan Research, in a statement.
Read more about the study here.