Looking at the population as a whole, 51% of American adults living with chronic disease have looked online for any of the health topics we ask about, such as information about a specific disease, a certain medical procedure, prescription or over-the-counter drugs, or health insurance.

By comparison, 66% of adults who report no chronic conditions use the internet to gather health information and 44% of adults living with two or more conditions do so. (Throughout the remainder of the report, the term "e-patient" is used to describe an internet user who has looked online for health information.)

Lack of internet access, not lack of interest in the topic, is the primary reason for the gaps. In fact, statistical analysis finds that, once online, having a chronic disease has a positive effect on someone’s propensity to look online for health information. Education and type of access (broadband or wireless) are still the strongest predictors for seeking health information online but the more diseases an internet user reports, the more likely they are to seek advice online, independent of all other demographic factors.

The motivations to go online for health information are probably as varied as the topics people research. People living with chronic disease are likely to be managing multiple conditions, filling multiple prescriptions, and visiting multiple doctors.¹⁵ In fact, a Harris Interactive study found that 17% of people living with chronic conditions reported receiving conflicting information from providers and 18% reported having duplicate tests or procedures performed.¹⁶ And again, the internet can be an information vending machine for some users and a powerful communications resource for others, depending on the nature of their illness or their level of interest in a certain topic.