Consumers+Use+of+Online+Information

=Introduction=

toc Statistics show that consumers around the globe are increasingly gaining access to the internet. Consumers engage in health information available on the internet. They interact with other patients who have similar problems on a forum and discusses about health issues.

=Health Related=

Consumers also discusses about the current health policies, benefits, and services. The internet allows users to remain anonymous and be interactive at the same time. Online activities allow consumers to have access to health information at all time, around the clock. Not everyone has time to go to the clinic for medical suggestions during the times they family doctor is in. Now that the internet maintains all the information, users can have access to it anytime and not be worried if they are distracted with other work. In addition, users can make in-depth research about the medical questions they have and be more aware of their health.

=Product/Service Related=

Consumers are not only limited to researching about their health. They have access to reviews online about certain products and services to help them decide on which product or service best suits their needs. Places such as eBay or [|Amazon] are well known for providing many of these services for people online.

Possibly problems with this is that depending on where this information is acquired, the information about health, products or services may be false or bias since anyone is able to publish a webpage.

=The Internet as a Tool for Health Issues Online=

Many users are more comfortable researching their health issues online and discussing issues on forums than in person because of shyness. Universities including [|U of T] provide this type of discreet services for students who feel a level of discomfort in person to person live interactions regarding their health issues.

WWW Also provides websites to producers of drugs and users can find out if other users have had bad reactions to certain drugs; blogs and [|forums] have been utilized well for this purpose.

=CCT205 Wikispaces Links=

E-commerce Online Shopping