69 Million Consumers Seek Health Information on the Internet, According to Gomez Advisors at ehealthcareWorld; Credibility and Privacy Critical In Eyes of Consumer.

Business/Technology Editors & Health/Medical Writers

ehealthcareWorld

LINCOLN, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--May 2, 2000

Gomez Advisors(TM), a leading e-commerce authority for both consumers and e-businesses, today announced the results of a powerful consumer survey designed to gauge the behavior and intentions of consumers utilizing the Web for health management, information, products and services. As part of a comprehensive market research study, Gomez polled over 12,000 online consumers, and e-health professionals will want to pay close attention to the results.

"As of today, there are close to 20,000 health sites on the Internet and more than a dozen full service online drugstores," said David Steele, M.D., senior healthcare analyst at Gomez Advisors. "This number continues to grow at an alarming rate, leaving consumers overwhelmed with the abundance of information out there and inundated with e-health options."

Of the 12,000-plus individuals surveyed, 77 percent indicated they have previously searched online for health information. What's important for e-health professionals to note is that 30 percent of consumers were indifferent when asked which health site they would use if restricted to only one -- indicating a wide open marketing opportunity.

Gomez found that the top motivation driving consumers to access health information online is when a loved one was diagnosed with a medical condition, indicating that the majority of health information seekers go online to help others. Findings also suggest that the majority of these online consumers are most concerned with the credibility of health information on the Internet and the trustworthiness of a site. In fact, 85 percent rated credibility as the single-most important attribute when selecting a health site.

Privacy is also an important factor during an eHealth consumer's site selection. "Consumers are still very hesitant to submit their personal health information online," said Steele. "Sixty-one percent of consumers indicated they are hesitant to provide their health information over the Internet out of fear that others will gain unauthorized access. Our findings suggest that further educating consumers about privacy issues will alleviate some of these fears."

Communication is key, according to consumers. Of those polled, 41 percent said the ability to e-mail their own doctor the most valuable feature they'd like to see on an online health site. Other site features important to consumers include the ability to obtain lab results online; and convenient tools that allow consumers to verify health insurance eligibility and track reimbursements.

"e-health consumers are extremely Internet savvy and make up a significant majority of the Internet population," said Steele. "To serve these consumers, e-health companies must provide personalized content, services and tools, while offering true convenience, promoting trust, and reducing healthcare costs to truly empower patients."

About eHealthcareWorld

eHealthcareWorld is produced and managed by eMarketWorld, the nation's premier provider of vertical industry Internet conferences and trade shows, including ad:techWorld. These content-rich programs are directed to both buyers and sellers in highly transactional environments that promote dynamic networking opportunities. All eMarketWorld industry-specific forums target executive decision-makers wanting to maximize their businesses via Internet marketing and e-commerce and looking to explore critical issues facing the rapidly changing and fiercely competitive Internet landscape. eMarketWorld, an Internet Capital Group (NASDAQ:ICG) partner company, has plans to produce more than 50 events in the year 2000, including eAutoWorld, eB2BWorld, eFinancialWorld, eMediatainmentWorld, eTravelWorld and eVentureWorld - in addition to eHealthcareWorld. To obtain information on all of eMarketWorld's conferences and trade shows, contact their headquarters in Richmond, VA at 804-643-8375 or visit www.eMarketWorld.com.

About Gomez Advisors, Inc.

Gomez Advisors is a leading e-commerce authority for both consumers and e-businesses. We provide an unparalleled view of online customer experience by combining industry specific expertise, a thoroughly objective and extensive Internet evaluation methodology, and high-quality community ratings and reviews of online businesses.

Gomez.com

An e-commerce portal for consumers, featuring quality e-commerce content, tools and incentives; helping consumers navigate the e-commerce Web and transact on the Internet. Gomez.com currently provides content, tools and other forms of decision support covering 28 industries and is utilized by over a million consumers each month.

GomezPro

An e-commerce portal for professionals, featuring online customer experience measurement, expert e-commerce insight and vendor selection services. GomezPro helps professionals build successful e-businesses, acquire customers and measure success. GomezPro provides real-time data, tools and analysis on over 800 e-commerce companies in 25 verticals.

Gomez Advisors, Gomez.com, and GomezPro are trademarks of Gomez Advisors, Inc. All other products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.