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Patients go online seeking support, practical advice on health conditions.

PATIENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH chronic illnesses, are turning to peers on the Internet for information on everyday health issues and for support. But the majority continue to rely on health professionals for diagnoses, drug information, and recommendations about health care professionals or facilities, according to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation. Over the past decade, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has conducted a series of surveys about ways people in the United States use the Internet, including as a means to find health-related information. According to Susannah Fox, associate director of the project, three-quarters of US residents have Internet access, and 80% of those with access go online for health information. But the latest survey (http: //tinyurl.com/4jtdvwc)providesmoredetailed information on what kinds of health information individuals are seekingonlineandwhat theycontinue to seek from traditional sources. The results are based on a national telephone survey of 3001 US adults, which had a response rate of 13.6% for the landline sample and 17% response rate for the cellular phone sample. In addition to the telephone survey, Pew also conducted an online survey of 2156 members of the National Organization for Rare Disorders to gather narrative information about members’ use of the Internet for health-related purposes.