D i g i t a l C ommunications E me r g e While traditional advertising agencies were reeling from the seismic shift in their core business model, the launch of Netscape, the first commercially available Web browser, transformed the world's ability to gain access to information. Shortly thereafter, the new access to information for patients and caregivers was supported and accelerated by changes in the Food and Drug Administration's policy regarding direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. Today, health information is one of the world's most searched topics on the Internet. In fact, recent data show more Americans go online for health and pharmaceutical information in a 12-month period than go to visit their personal physician in the office, and the Internet quickly is becoming a critical resource for consumers seeking timely and convenient answers to On-line Health Information Seeking Has Grown Significantly Since 2002 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2002 2004 2006 2008 In Millions *eHealth Consumers: Consumers who have conducted health information seeking activities online in the past 12 months for themselves or others. Source: Cybercitizen Health’” 2002-2008 (Manhattan Research) We've come a long way, baby! Cybercitizen Health™ v8.0 shows us that not only has overall growth in use of the Internet increased over the years, but so has use of this venue specifically for health information. As seen here, the number of US consumers going online for health-related information—the eHealth consumers—has increased by 82 million since 2002, up to 145.7 million consumers. 109
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